Entertainment
Malawi: 125 years of faith, rooted in Christ, serving justice
Malawi has just celebrated 125 years since the Gospel first arrived. Years of faith have built schools, hospitals, and consciences, and it is still growing stronger. The Catholic Lawyers Association of Malawi (CLAM) recently organised what was dubbed a ‘Red Mass’ celebration in gratitude to God for his graces all these years.
Sr. Roselyne Wambani Wafula, fsp – Lilongwe
The Mass was held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish, in the capital, Lilongwe, with over 40 Catholic lawyers, judges, senior counsels, young advocates, academics, and public servants in attendance.
This is the second time that the association in Malawi has organised the celebration of Holy Mass in Lilongwe. The Malawian association intends to fully affiliate with the International Association of Catholic Lawyers recognised by the Holy See as an international association of pontifical right.
Malawi’s legal professionals during Mass
Integrity has a price
The Auxiliary Bishop of Lilongwe, Vincent Mwakhwawa, presided over the ‘Red Mass.’ The National Pastoral Coordinator, Fr Joseph Sikwese, concelebrated.
The Mass offered Malawi’s Catholic legal community an opportunity to pause, reflect on its moral responsibility, seek wisdom, and pray for fairness and integrity in administering justice. The legal minds placed themselves before God’s law and prayed for guidance in the dispensation of their duties.
The red vestments used during the Mass symbolised the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blood of martyrdom. The latter recognised all those who died defending truth and justice.
In his homily, Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa addressed himself directly to the officers of the court.
“A Catholic lawyer should carry Christ into the courtroom, the chambers, the boardroom, the prison, at the negotiating table, because no lawyer can manufacture wisdom merely by reading a law book,” Bishop Mwakhwawa said. He reminded the gathering that integrity is often tested in moments when telling the truth costs money, friendships, opportunities, or influence. “It is precisely in those moments that being rooted in Christ matters,” the Bishop emphasised.
Auxiliary Bishop of Lilongwe, Vincent Mwakhwawa
Human faces, not statistics
“Today we gather not simply to celebrate lawyers, but to place the legal profession itself before God,” Bishop Mwakhwawa said.
According to Lilongwe Archdiocese’s Auxiliary Bishop, Law is not just a career. It is a delicate vocation and must be practised with diligence, prudence, and justice.
The Bishop invited members of the legal profession to embrace upright lives in their communities and to walk the talk in their vocation and professio -every single day.
“Being Catholic cannot simply mean attending Mass on Sunday while one’s professional life operates on completely different principles from Monday to Friday.” The courage to say no to corruption; no to a clever argument that brings injustice; no to “that is how things are done” – calls for conversion of hearts, the prelate said.
The Bishops further reminded the Catholic legal community never to forget the human faces behind every file.
“Imagine a poor person standing outside a legal office because they cannot afford representation. That lawyer who helps to restore that person’s dignity evangelises in his own way,” said the Auxiliary Bishop.
Source link
