Africa-Press – Zambia. Kitwe Catholic Priest Fr. Patrick Mupula has said wide-spread poverty and hunger in Zambia is diminishing the human dignity of its citizens. Fr. Mupula of St. Michael and Noah Parish in Chambobli said Zambians should be pragmatic to overcome challenges of poverty and hunger.
He said there is a need to utilise national resources for the benefit of many suffering Zambians. Preaching when celebrating Mass in St. George Chapel in Kitwe, Fr. Mupula said the 58 years of Zambia’s independence are just on paper.
“Today Jesus is telling us to open our hearts and reflect on our lives. God will judge us based on how we treat the poor in our homes. We will not be judged based on the Church uniform or Church position. In your homes, how do you treat the poor? How do you treat people with nothing? These days it is a big sin to be poor in Zambia. If you are poor even in your family no one will value you. Even in Church, when you are poor no one will value you. Even if you are severely sick the Church will not even announce your sickness. But a rich person will only sneeze and it will be announced that someone is sick. So during judgment God will only assess us based on our hearts. You and I, what are we doing to inherit the kingdom of God,” Fr. Mupula preached.
“People we consider to be sinners will lead us in the kingdom of God. People will least expect to inherit the kingdom of God because we are not utilising our possession for the good of society. In the end it will gnash our teeth. In Zambia, the gnashing of teeth has already started right here on earth. Above, we will only continue the gnashing of teeth we have started on earth. In Zambia wherever you go people are gnashing their teeth. Just travelling on this road from Mufulira to Mokambo you gnash your teeth. When you are sick and go to the hospital here in Kitwe the bad smell in the hospital will kill you before they even start treating you. People in Zambia, especially the poor, are already gnashing their teeth as they live. Travelling on the road from Ndola to Kapiri Mposhi, you drive while gnashing your teeth. These days when you visit the sick in their homes you will see how people are suffering. The high prices of mealie meal are making people gnash their teeth here on earth,” Fr. Mupula said.
He added:”Suffering has already started on earth; we will just go and continue when we go above. Every day we listen to leaders reading long speeches but nothing is happening on the ground. The other day we were celebrating independence. 58 years of independence is just a name on paper, go to various houses and see how people are suffering. People are gnashing their teeth. There is poverty and hunger in many families. Hunger negatively affects the dignity of a human person. Hunger diminishes the dignity of a human person. Let us ask God in today’s Mass to help us become good people. We pray that God opens our hearts to enable us to use good things he has given us for the benefit of humanity. Not a situation where some are eating and celebrating while others are just watching on television how people in front are enjoying life. We are all suffering and gnashing our teeth when God has given us many good things that should help us in life. What have we done wrong to God such that every day we are gnashing our teeth?”
Meanwhile, UPND Kankoyo Member of Parliament Heartson Mabeta has questioned if fallen freedom fighters would be happy with the current state of Zambia 58 years after independence.
“I am trying hard to celebrate independence but my heart is very weak. My Heart is weak because my mind keeps on thinking about: That Former Mpelembe Drilling Employee who lost their Job on redundancy without getting any benefits despite ZCCM-IH having paid management at Mpelembe Drilling in full.hat teacher who was recruited in 2020 and 2021 but has never received her first salary. The bus driver who still has to go through Kitwe to get to Ndola because the Mufulira Mukambo and Mufulira Ndola Road remains in a poor state despite the government having paid 267 million kwacha to Inyatsi in 2017,” Mr. Mabeta posted on facebook.
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