A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Hilary Ibegbulem has urged those who are holding positions to note that there are consequences for failing to discharge their responsibilities creditably.
Delivering a Homily on Sunday morning at the Catholic Church of the Ascension, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, Fr. Ibegbulem stated that there are assessments for every responsibility.
He emphasized that God punishes those who fail in discharging their responsibilities and rewards those who discharge their responsibilities effectively.
The Priest said, “the theme for today is, ‘Failure in responsibility and its consequences.’
“With every responsibility, you are assessed whether you have done well or you have not done well; if you have not done well, it means that you have failed.
“Leadership comes with responsibilities; it is not enough to aspire for positions without being prepared for the responsibilities that goes with such positions.
“There are consequences for failure.
“My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, who are the Shepherds?
“They are the kings and leaders of Israel and God punished those who failed in their responsibilities.
“Who are these Shepherds today?
“They are all those who have responsibilities in one capacity or the other.
“They have responsibilities towards the children of God that are entrusted to them.
“The Shepherds today are the political leaders; they are not to serve themselves but, serve and protect the people; they have a duty to make life better for the people and if they fail, God is saying, ‘I will deal with them.’
“The traditional rulers are also the Shepherds and if they fail in their responsibilities, God will deal with them.
“Also, parents, if they fail to train their children decently to face the challenges of the world, God will deal with them.
“How are we training our children for them to do things on their own? Our children these days grow into adulthood without knowing right from left because, we do everything for them.
“Parental responsibilities goes beyond just paying school fees; if we fail in our responsibilities to our children, God is saying that He will hold us responsible.
“We are Shepherds in one way or the other and God is saying that there are consequences if we fail, so, we cannot afford to fail in our responsibilities.
“So, we must put in our best always in executing our responsibilities.”
The Holy Mass which was celebrated by Very Rev. Fr. John Konyeke, featured special thanksgiving by the parishioners. 
