Prioritise needs of citizenry - Bishop Louis urges leaders

An auxiliary Bishop of the Accra Catholic Archdiocese, the Most Rev. John Kobina Louis, has urged the leadership of the country to prioritise the needs of the citizens and create the enabling environment for them to thrive.  

“Besides the shepherds in the executive, legislature and judiciary, let us all learn from Christ, the Good Shepherd, to selflessly contribute to make our nation great, just and prosperous,” he stated.

He was delivering a sermon on the theme “Shepherds of the nation” at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Sakumono, as part of the Good Shepherd Sunday. It was based on readings from Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalm 23, Ephesians 2:13-18 and Mark 6:30-34

Failed shepherds

Most Rev. Louis said in Ghana and other nations, leaders of successive governments had failed to shepherd their people.  “The litany of failed actions (selfish gains, injustice, neglect of the poor and vulnerable, etc.) of the shepherd-kings of Judah have been repeated or even magnified by our leaders in diverse ways,” he stated.  

He said the outcome of the failures of today’s shepherds was obvious with “premature” deaths “due to poor healthcare provision; poor standard of education; lack of employment; unjust treatment of many people; the destruction of the land, forest and water bodies; the prevalence of economic exiles.

“In short, the majority of the citizens have become like “sheep without a shepherd,” he said, making reference to Mark 6:34.

Good shepherd

He said when the shepherd-kings of Judah had failed, God promised to send responsible shepherds (cf. Jer. 23:4), citing Jesus Christ as the one who fulfilled the promise. “He is the good shepherd par excellence (cf. John 10:1-18). He provides for us and selflessly died for us so that we will have life in abundance (cf. John 10:10).

The Most Rev. Louis said because of His great shepherd-compassion, Christ saw the crowd as “sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).

“To the sick, perplexed and tired, He gave hope by His healing and teaching (cf. Mark 6:34). And to the hungry, He gave bread and fish in abundance (cf. Mark 6:35-44),” he said. He, therefore, urged the leaders of the country to learn from Christ, the Good Shepherd, and prioritise the needs of the people.

Among other things, Most Rev. Louis also cited the shepherd, David, who led his father’s flock along the right path of safety to pasture or home, and protected his father’s flock against the attacks of wild beasts.