FUNERAL OF THE LATE MR. SIMEON KWAKU AMUZU (February 18, 1952 – June 12, 2025)
AT ST. JOHN FISHER CATHOLIC CHURCH, NEW ACHIMOTA
ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2025
HOMILY BY BISHOP JOHN KOBINA LOUIS
THEME: SEEK THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
READINGS: 2 Timothy 4:6-9 & Matthew 25:31-46
0.1 INTRODUCTION
On behalf of Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Anthony Narh Asare, my co-Auxiliary Bishop, the priests, religious and all mourners here present, I wish to express our condolences to the children, grandchildren, siblings, Rev. Fr. Matthias K. Amuzu and other family members of the late Mr. Simeon Kwaku Amuzu.
0.2 THEME
In the first reading, as St. Paul, a prisoner for the sake of Christ, sensed that his execution was almost due, he wrote: “I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me” (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
Like St. Paul, Mr. Simeon Amuzu sought “the crown of righteousness” from his youthful days. Hence, our theme: “Seek the Crown of Righteousness”.
0.2 OUTLINE
- The Crown of Righteousness
- The Jewels in the Crown
- How Mr. Amuzu sought the Crown
- Conclusion: Seeking the Crown
1.0 THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke about seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness in the same breath (cf. Matt. 6:33). This is because, only those who have been made right with God through the free merits of Christ’s death and resurrection (cf. Rom. 3:21-26; 5:17-19) and who walk in the path of righteousness till death can enter God’s Kingdom, the eternal presence of the “holy, holy, holy” God (Isaiah 6:3). Hence, St. Paul rightly described entry into God’s Kingdom as “the crown of righteousness” (2 Tim. 4:8).
Beloved, it is most significant that St. Paul qualified the crown with “righteousness”. The entry “visa” into the Kingdom is not the crown of unrighteousness. It is not the crown of immorality, bribery, corruption, mismanagement, or the like. Whereas some people may engage in immorality, bribery, corruption, mismanagement, and the like, and still enjoy the good things of earthly life, no one who persists in unrighteous living till death would be given the crown of righteousness. Thus, St. Paul cautioned us: “I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21).
So, beloved, let us seek God’s Kingdom by living righteously with the aid of God’s grace.
2.0 THE JEWELS IN THE CROWN
The crown of righteousness is ornamented with several priceless jewels. Among them are six grains of heavenly diamond which are mentioned in today’s gospel reading. These are acts of charity to Christ in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and prisoners (cf. Matt. 25:34-40).
Ordinary acts of charity to the needy can take on the value of heavenly jewels. Such acts become priceless because Christ, who became man (cf. John 1:14), associates and identifies Himself with the needy:
- He who experienced what it means to be stranger even in the womb of His Mother (cf. John 1:11), at His birth in Bethlehem (cf. Luke 2:5-7), as a child in exile in Egypt (cf. Matt. 2:13-15), as a homeless person during His ministry (cf. Luke 9:58), etc., identifies Himself with the stranger: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matt. 25:35).
- He who experienced extreme hunger after fasting for forty days and nights (cf. Matt. 4:2) identifies with the hungry: “I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matt. 25:35).
- He who experienced extreme thirst on the cross (cf. John 19:28) identifies with the thirsty: “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Matt. 25:35)
- He who was terribly wounded by scourging, crowning with thorns (cf. John 19:1-2), nailing, etc. identifies with the sick: “I was sick and you took care of me” (Matt. 25:36).
- He who was arrested through Judas’ betrayal (cf. John 18:2-4,12), and abandoned by Peter (cf. Luke 22:54-62) and the other apostles (cf. Matt. 26:56), identifies with those neglected in prisons: “I was in prison and you visited me” (Matt. 25:36)
- He who was stripped of His clothes before His crucifixion (cf. John 19:23-25) identifies with the naked: “I was naked and you gave me clothing” (Matt. 25:36).
Indeed, whatever we do to the least of the brethren we do it unto Jesus who will reward us (cf. Matt. 25:40). And Mr. Amuzu was strongly convinced about this, as we will see in the next section.
3.0 HOW MR. AMUZU SOUGHT THE CROWN
Growing up as a Catholic, Mr. Amuzu often desired the award of the crown of righteousness. As he thought about how the Lord would one day crown him, he observed that the majority of the Lord’s miracles in the gospels were about healing. And so, he thought of the healthcare profession.
As he reflected further on this, it dawned on him that the healthcare profession provides avenues for obtaining several of the jewels of the crown of righteousness. So, with his interest in management and administration, Mr. Amuzu would pursue hospital administration. For several decades as a hospital administrator and CEO of various hospitals, Mr. Amuzu:
- often visited the sick
- assisted many strangers whom he met at the hospital as patients
- provided food for some poor patients who were hungry
- satisfied the thirst of some poor patients as he provided them not only with water but also with drips
- gave clothes to some poor patients
- not only visited some patients who had been “imprisoned” in their wards because of poverty but also set them free by paying their bills
In these ways, Mr. Amuzu sought the crown of righteousness in his work. Moreover, his compassion and faith were witnessed in his family, church and communities where he lived.
4.0 CONCLUSION: SEEKING THE CROWN
As we pray that the Lord Jesus would say to Mr. Amuzu: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you …; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Matt. 25:34-36), let us all seek the crown of righteousness as he did. Amen!
