“We search in wrong places,” Catholic Archbishop Urges Nigerians to Seek True Happiness beyond Worldly Pleasures

Jos, 02 February, 2026 / 9:18 PM

A Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria has called on the people of God to pursue true and lasting happiness by embracing the values of the Beatitudes, warning against the illusion of happiness rooted in wealth, power, and worldly success.

In his Sunday, February 1, homily at Divine Mercy Church, Karu, Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja said the Beatitudes guide believers on how to live authentically, revealing what true happiness means in the eyes of God.

“Happiness is that which all people seek. All of us look for and desire happiness. We search for it in different things and places – in power, money, pleasure, fame, affluence, political dominance, and success. But many times, we fail, because we search for them in the wrong places,” Archbishop Kaigama said at the Holy Mass in which he conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation to 72 members of the parish.

The Archbishop compared the world's happiness and blessings to the Beatitudes, which reveal to people “a new way of being human, a new scale of values, and a new understanding of what it means to be truly blessed and happy.”

“While the world says, blessed are the rich; blessed are the powerful; blessed are those who dominate; blessed are those who succeed at all costs,” he said, “Jesus says, blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek; blessed are the merciful; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

“This is not a motivational speech; rather, it is a radical challenge to live out the Gospel we proclaim, even when it makes us unpopular according to the world’s standards. It is also a reminder, by Jesus, that the powerless, and those struggling in poverty and misery, and other ordinary persons, are not left out or forgotten or disqualified in God’s plan,” the Archbishop emphasized.

The Local Ordinary of Abuja said that the Beatitudes “speak with prophetic urgency,” calling for love and good leadership  in the West African nation filled with many challenges, such as corruption, injustice, violence, ethnic suspicion, and economic hardship.

“Peace cannot be built on hatred; development cannot be sustained without justice; leadership without humility becomes tyranny; and religion without mercy becomes hypocrisy and empty ritual. The Beatitudes challenge both the Church and society to become places where the poor are defended, the weak protected, and human dignity is respected,” he said.

The Archbishop of Abuja encouraged the people of God to emulate Jesus Christ, who not only preached the Beatitudes but also lived them.

“The Beatitudes are not merely teachings; they are not abstract ideals; they are a portrait of Jesus Himself,” the Archbishop said.

“He was poor in spirit, completely trusting in the Father. He mourned over Jerusalem and over human suffering. He was meek before His accusers. He hungered for righteousness. He was merciful to sinners, the poor, and the needy. He made peace through the Cross. He was persecuted and killed for righteousness’ sake. To live the Beatitudes, therefore, is to become like Christ,” he added.

Quoting theologian Carl Ferdinand Henry, he said, “Jesus clothes the Beatitudes with His own life,” adding that Christ did not present them as impossible demands but as a way of life He Himself embodied.

Archbishop Kaigama underscored the importance of the Beatitudes, assuring the people of God that “The Beatitudes do not promise an easy life, but they promise a meaningful one.”

“They do not remove the Cross, but they show us how the Cross leads to resurrection. They do not claim that suffering is good. Rather, they offer us a pathway to holiness and authentic Christian living,” he said.

 In his homily, the Archbishop implored the people of God to remember that happiness is made, not found, urging them not to measure their lives by worldly success alone but by their fidelity to Christ.

“May we not measure our lives by worldly success alone, but by our fidelity to Christ. May the words of Jesus echo in our hearts, not as ideals beyond reach, but as a daily path of discipleship. In living the Beatitudes, we are not just following rules; we are being shaped into God’s likeness,” he said.