Most Rev. Philip Naameh-Middle |
In a Keynote Address at the opening of the Ten-Day
Conference in Techiman on Monday, November 12 on the theme Our Call to Holiness in the Light of Gaudete Exultate, he said the
call to be holy remained more significant and clarion in recent times.
He
asked people in a position of authority to be holy by working for the common
good and renouncing personal gain.
For
those who work for a living, the Archbishop advised them to be holy by
labouring with integrity and skill in the service of their brothers and sisters
while parents or grandparent must be holy by patiently teaching the little ones
how to follow Jesus.
He
urged those called to the episcopal, priestly and Consecrated Life to be holy
by living out their commitment with joy. To the married, he asked them to be
holy by loving and caring for their husband or wife, as Christ did for the
Church.
According to him, “if holiness is the most attractive
face of the Church, then let us wake up to adorn the Body of Christ, the
Church, with our holy lives and make her a Bride more beautiful and pleasing to
Jesus Christ, her Spouse.”
Traditional Rulers at the ceremony |
Archbishop
Naameh pointed out that holiness was not only for those who could withdraw from
the ordinary affairs of life and spend much time in prayer but all are called
to be holy by living their lives with love and by bearing witness in everything
we do, where they find ourselves.
He
noted that Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice
and Be Glad) is a universal call to live holy lives with a new and fresh
approach. We are encouraged to strive for and achieve holiness in our everyday
lives. As we actually live out holiness day by day, we not only draw closer to
the Lord ourselves, but become participants in bring others to Christ.
The
Archbishop opined that opportunities of holiness show up in the ordinary
gestures of our daily lives. You grow in holiness when you refuse to say
something negative or evil about another person when your neighbour invites you
to an occasion to gossip at the marketplace.
“Jesus
invites each us to gain true happiness by faithful practice of the Beatitudes.
We can only practice them if the Holy Spirit fills us with His power and frees
us from our weaknesses; selfishness, complacency and pride,” he added.
He
urged Christians to be poor of heart, to react with meekness and humility, to
know how to mourn with others, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to see
and act with mercy, to keep a heart free of all that tarnishes love, to sow
peace all around us, and to accept daily the path of the Gospel, even though it
may cause us problems.
Saying
that Holiness is a constant battle, he stressed that “the Christian life
remains a battle against the world, against our human weaknesses and a constant
struggle against the devil, the prince of evil. We need to be armed with
powerful weapons for this spiritual combat: faith-filled prayer, meditation on
the Word of the God, the celebration of and participation in the Mass, Eucharistic
adoration, sacramental Reconciliation, works of charity, community life and
missionary outreach.”
“Beware
of spiritual corruption; to be comfortable and satisfied with the sinful state
of your life. Pray for the grace of discernment against the subtle distractions
of today’s world,” he added.
On
abuses by the Clergy and other Church personnel, Archbishop Naameh lamented
that “what makes these abuses more disheartening is that the victims are women
and children; the more vulnerable who needed ecclesial care and support and in
some cases, these scandals were covered.”
He
expressed the Church in Ghana’s solidarity with all regions of the Church,
which had been hit by this news of sexual scandal, saying that “We also commit
ourselves to finding proactive ways in which such a menace will not be visited
on the Catholic Church in Ghana.
He
announced that the Catholic Bishops Conference would soon outdoor its child
Protection Policy, and entreated all men and women of goodwill in Ghana to
collaborate with the Catholic Church in its implementation.
Most
Rev. Jean Marie Speich, Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana in a message read for him by
his Secretary Msgr. Pavol Talapka, stated that the Holy Father reminds us in
his Apostolic Exhortation that holiness is necessary for our happiness,
simplicity of life and entails action.
He
prayed that “the teachings of the Holy Father which is an actualization of the
teachings of Jesus Christ would prove helpful by enabling the whole Church
especially Ghana to devote herself anew to promoting the desire for holiness.”
The
Nuncio made reference to a publication in The
Catholic Standard by a youth on Scriptural
Ignorance as the Greatest Disease of our Generation and noted that “it is
not only biblical ignorance we have to deal with but also spiritual ignorance
because both are intrinsically linked to each other and both call for a
deepening and consolidation of our Catholic roots.”
Catholic Bishops with Priests and Religious of the Techiman Diocese |
He
mentioned a book on In His Presence
written by Rev, Fr. Courage Senam Dogbey of the Accra Archdiocese as
initiatives by a Catholic Youth and a Diocesan Priest which demonstrate that in
laical and priestly levels, “we have in Ghana a big wish and a deep desire for
spirituality and holiness.”
Most
Rev. Dominic Yeboah Nyarko, Bishop of Techiman stressed that the theme of the
conference taken from the recent Exhortation of the Pope, does not only echoes
the divine call to holiness through the beatitudes but also, a duty and
responsibility to care for one another and also for the environment.
He
prayed that the outcome of the Plenary would address pertinent issues affecting
response to the call to holiness and joy in the contemporary society.
Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw
IV, Omanhene of Techiman Traditional Area, who chaired the opening ceremony,
called for change of lifestyles among Ghanaians especially the youth, asking
them to draw closer to God. There were Goodwill
messages by the National Union of Ghana Diocesan Priests’ Association (NUGDPA),
Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana, Techiman Diocesan Laity
Council and the Christian Council of Ghana.
By:
Damian Avevor and Michael Akornoba - The Catholic Standard
No comments:
Post a Comment