Chart path of holiness - Archbishop Naameh urges Ghanaians - newswatchgh.com

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Friday, 16 November 2018

Chart path of holiness - Archbishop Naameh urges Ghanaians



 The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, has stated that if all Ghanaians would chart the path of holiness, the country would not need to appoint any special prosecutor to deal with the menace of corruption.
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



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