“ENTERING THROUGH THE NARROW GATE” (MATT. 7:13): TOWARDS REINVIGORATING THE SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT OF THE NIGERIAN CATHOLIC KNIGHTS

Abstract

The universal call to holiness demands that one gains his/her salvation through one’s state of life. The state of life into which one finds himself/herself is naturally established through the family process that eventually culminates into the Church affiliation, and finally into the larger society. There are various states of life within the Catholic Church which is classified into the clergy, consecrated men and women and lay faithful. The clergy refers to the ordained ministers that exercise the ministerial priesthood. The lay faithful though they share in the common priesthood through baptism live out their Christian life in their various areas of work. Within the Catholic Church, they form statutory bodies like Catholic Women Organization, Catholic Men Organization, Catholic Youth Organization, and Holy Childhood Association; which are all enveloped in the Laity Council. There are other particular associations like the Catholic Knights and other sodalities that exist in the Church. This research is concerned with the Nigerian Catholic Knights who often times help in promoting the growth of the Church through their generous financial contributions in various church projects and more so, in carrying out charitable works. On the other hand there is need to get them reinvigorated in their spiritual commitment so that eloquent testimony to the faith with soar higher This ugly side of deficiency in proper witnessing often times stain the corporate image of the group. The research uses the qualitative methodology to sift out the causes of this lack of proper witnessing and ways of addressing it. The researcher makes some recommendations on ways of ensuring more spiritual commitment among the Catholic Knights in order to be more active promoters of the gospel message.