As part of activities to mark his Pastoral visit to the Island Missions from November 22 to 25, 2024, the Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, Vicar of the Apostolic Vicariate of Donkorkrom in Ghana’s Eastern Region, has administered the Sacrament of Confirmation on 11 Catholics from across the seven Island Mission Stations of the Vicariate.
The November 24 Confirmation Mass which took place at Kokrobuta, one of the Island Stations, was officiated by the Bishop and concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Sofronio Endoma, Priest-in-charge of the Island Mission and Rev. Fr. Otmar Auinger Aklah, one of the newly ordained for the Vicariate.
Preaching during the Confirmation Mass, his Lordship could not but celebrate that “it is always a joyful occasion any time we gather together at the Holy Mass where some of our brothers and sisters are going to receive one or the other Sacrament”.
“It shows that the Church is growing, we are developing. Not increasing only in numbers, but also our faith is being deepened. It means many more people are understanding our faith and want to commit themselves to live the Catholic doctrine,” he added.
Using the analogy of the poor widow in the day’s Gospel (Lk 21:1-4), who put into the offering box all that she had to live on, out of her goodness, the Bishop charge the Christian faithful to see success as goodness, and not wealth, power, control or privileges as many people think.
“Because this woman was a good person, she did not think of herself. She thought of pleasing God. She was prepared to sacrifice everything she had to live on to contribute to the temple treasury,” he commended.
He further pointed out that the poor widow, with only two pieces of coins who would otherwise not have been considered successful in the human eye, was the one Jesus singled out among the many people who put their offerings into the box.
According to the Prelate, Jesus saw in the heart of the woman the goodness stored in her heart, which moved her to offer everything she had.
Reflecting further, the Bishop reiterated the fact that each and every individual has something to offer, because each has been gifted by God in various ways.
“There is no one who has nothing to offer at any given time. Would you want to make God a liar? Because there is no one who would say that God has not given me any gift. God has given each and everyone of us a unique gift, and that gift he wants us to sacrifice that gift for the good of our brothers and sisters. To glorify him, to praise him,” he buttressed.
He added that the reason why people sometimes say they have nothing to offer is simply because they have not yet discovered the gift that the Lord has given them, and hence they can’t appreciate these gifts.
“This is why the Holy Spirit is very important in our lives,” the Bishop explained, adding that just as Jesus had given the Spirit to the Disciples to remind them of everything He had taught them; to accompany them to go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News of the Gospel, the same mandate was being given to them as Catholics.
“We are to bear witness to our Lord Jesus Christ. There are difficulties, challenges, problems, that you will be faced with as proclaimers of the Gospel. Just as apostles, the Christians who have gone ahead of us, also faced such difficulties and problems in their lives. But because they were guided, strengthened and given courage by the Holy Spirit, they were prepared to sacrifice even their very lives to continue even the good course of Christ. It is the same spirit that the Church through the Sacrament of Confirmation imparts on our brothers and sisters today,” the bishop underlined.
Addressing the candidates for Confirmation, his Lordship urged them to henceforth be prepared to sacrifice even their life blood to bear witness to Christ, adding that it is not that they were going to receive any different spirit from what they received at their baptism, but this time, the Sacrament of Confirmation was meant to strengthen the power of the spirit within them.
“It is to make them feel that it is not they who speak, it is not they who move about, it is the work of the spirit within them,” he reinforced.
“So my dear brothers and sisters, you should be cautious of what you say, what you do in your life. Examine and ask yourself, is what is coming out of me from the Holy Spirit or from a different spirit? What I am saying or doing, is it out of genuine humility or out of pride? Do I want to show off or I want to praise God?”
Bishop Asiedu underlined the fact that it is through humility and the desire to praise God that the faithful will be able to attract other people to Christ.
The Bishop prayed that the spirit may “work in and through every one of us so that people will see our goodness and that will be our success in life as Christians”.
“Let us pray for our brothers and sisters to be confirmed today and for each and every one of us who has received the Sacrament of Confirmation that the spirit of the Lord will be strong in us; will fortify us and will move us forward courageously to bear witness to Christ.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate)
