Rev. Fr. Formedza John Felix Awaitey Jnr, the Parish Priest of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Amankwakrom, in the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom, has urged his Parish Pilgrims at the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Donkorkrom, to work hard for their salvation. He made this known in a talk during the one-day pilgrimage to the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Donkorkrom, by some of his parishioners from St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Amankwakrom.
The talk was on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year”. He continued that Christians, by our faith, are pilgrims on this earth, who are on a journey to our maker. The fact that we enter the world through birth and exit through death. This is common knowledge and a tenet of faith that we must all accept in our lives.
As a result, every Christian and everybody, for that matter, must be committed to this journey of pilgrimage towards our maker. Every Christian hopes to go to heaven, and this doesn’t come on a silver platter. It demands hard work to live an authentic Christian life. It takes effort to go to heaven. He said it would be sad if, after all these efforts on this earth, we lost our salvation. Hence, there is a need to have strong faith in God and live holy lives as faithful pilgrims.
Easter, he indicated that is the foundation of the entire Christian faith. It is the celebration par excellence of all Christian feasts and celebrations. The fact that Jesus overcame death on the Cross is a symbol of hope for the church and her members.
Fr. Felix posited that the church celebrates every 25 years as a moment of renewal of her faith in Christ, her savior. It is a moment of intensifying our efforts to seek forgiveness from God and our neighbours, and also forgiving others who have offended us. A time of reconciliation, intensive prayer life, and renewal of our entire Christian life. The church is blowing the horn to announce this joyous celebration to its members. And her members must also respond accordingly, as the pilgrims have done.
This Joyous Celebration takes its root in the 50-year Jubilee Celebration of the Israelites in Leviticus 25. It was a sacred time, where the Israelites expressed gratitude to God for his protection and guidance, forgiving each other’s debts, freeing slaves, and returning land to its original owners. It was also a period of allowing the land to rest and the people to rest as well.
He bemoaned the situation where modern man doesn’t allow the land to rest, but overuses it, rendering our lands infertile. No wonder the farm lands are not able to yield as much as they did in previous times. He also discouraged the use of bad farming practices, which are destroying our rich farmlands. He called for a collective effort to stop the destruction of our water bodies and the forests through illegal mining (galamsey), and the use of chemicals for fishing.
Again, the Jubilee year is a period to deepen our respect for one another and treat everybody equally, no matter the social class.
He encouraged the pilgrims to renounce their sins and reunite with their maker once more. They can achieve this through constant reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There is also the need to pray for God’s grace and the conversion of the whole world. The Jubilee Year, he says, is a special moment to seek God’s favours, mercies, and above all his graces upon one’s life.
They must also pray for the dead in an intensified manner during this period, but not wait till 2nd November before they remember to pray for them.
It is a moment of their renewal of life in Christ. Therefore, they must intensify their efforts to live holy lives. It is only by doing so that they can really obtain the indulgence that the Jubilee Year offers to all people. He indicated that as they go through the Holy Door, they should leave their old life behind and embrace the new one that Jesus offers to them.
In concluding his message, Fr. Felix encouraged the pilgrims to become new people in Christ, by imitating Him (Christ), who is the Good Shepherd. They are to renew their spirit of kindness and aspire always to go to heaven, the hope of destination for all believers.
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo (AVD-DEPSOCOM)
