The Very Rev. Fr. Bernard Adjei Appiah, SVD, Administrator of the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Donkorkrom, has admonished the members of Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) not to sit on the fence but to be on fire for Christ.
He made this known during a three-day gathering of the CCR members in the Vicariate at the Cathedral.
Speaking on the theme, “The Christ in you and the Sacraments”, he emphasized the fact of manifesting Jesus Christ to the world through the Sacraments.
He said one can also make Jesus known to the world through the daily celebration of the Sacraments.
Drawing inspiration from Colossians 1:27b “Christ in you the hope of glory”, Fr. Appiah who is
the Chaplain for the Vicariate’s CCR, emphasised the need to treasure the gifts of the Sacraments in living out our Christian life.
He stated that the Sacraments were gifts from God, and they were gifts because “we don’t merit them. Even though they have physical signs but with spiritual implications or invincible graces on our lives.”
“They unite us with Christ and the church. Because one cannot follow Christ without being part of the Church,” he added.
To be a follower of Christ, he indicated, implies to be part of his Church, noting that the two were inseparable, saying, “Christ action which is the Sacraments is within his community of believers, which is the Church.”
He indicated that, “Christ begins his life in us through the Sacrament of Baptism. And this life in us must daily be nourished to grow and mature in Christ.”
“The Sacrament makes us sharers in the priesthood, kingship and prophetic mission of Christ. Confirmation strengthens us for God’s work. It completes the grace of baptism in us, making us mature in our Christian faith and witness to Christ, he noted.
According to the Cathedral Administrator, “The grace of Confirmation makes us soldiers of Christ. The Eucharist is the foundation and pillar of our entire Christian life. Because it is through the Eucharist that we receive nourishment from Christ for our Christian living.”
“The Eucharist therefore is the source and summit of our entire Christian faith. When the bread is broken and the wine is poured, Christ comes among his people,” he added.
Fr. Appiah pointed out that “Through the Sacrament of Confession, Christ heals us.”
The CCR Chaplain encouraged the gathering to make use of the opportunity given by the church through the Sacrament of Confession to mature in their Christian life.
Through the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, Christ strengthens us and offers us spiritual and physical healing.
He diffused the notion that the Sacrament is to kill or give to people who are dying, indicating that it was an old position of the Church, but has since been abandoned.
He explained that It was rather to implore the divine healing of God upon the individual, for the forgiveness of sin and to unite all with the suffering of Christ.
Touching on the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, he said through it, Christ’s love is shown through the couples.
“The couples must radiate the love of Christ to one another and their neighbours at large,” he noted, adding, “They become an embodiment of the love of Christ. The Sacrament also reflects the covenant love between Christ and his Church.”
Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, Christ serves through his ministers. Christ ministers to his people through his chosen vessels. As his ministers administer the Sacraments to his people, he imbues in them his divine life.
The Sacraments according to Fr. Bernard demand a daily living in Christ. Their purpose is to make us Christ-like in nature. They make us to grow in a deeper communion in Christ. But this can only be possible with daily efforts and not events.
The Sacraments in summary, he said made people love and render service to others, instil in us the virtue of prayer and openness to God’s grace and help us to live out our mission in the Church and the world.
By Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo (AVD- DEPSOCOM)
