A Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Keta-Akatsi in the Volta Region of the West African country of Ghana has counselled the people of God of Our Lady of Assumption (OLA) Parish at New Achimota, Accra, never in their lives make any attempt to build walls of hatred around themselves but strive to forgive one another when wronged.
“Beloved in Christ, you cannot continue building strong walls of hatred and unforgiveness around yourself because of an offense. If we take an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, the world would be filled with blind and toothless people,” Fr. Emmanuel Sebastian Enyonam Dorgbetor said in a homily on Sunday, February 20, 2022.
He asked: “If each of us is to cut a pound of flesh from anyone who offends us, what becomes of us save only walking bones?”
Preaching on the theme “For the Rose and Honey, Accept the Thorns and the Bees,” he prayed that the faithful of OLA Parish would recognise the budding rose and sweetness in everyone, hence accept the thorns and stings.
Dilating on the readings of the day, he said they might put people in awkward or uncomfortable posture since they focused on embracing even enemies, noting, “the mandate is uncomfortable in the sense that it expects us to reach out to the very people who hurt us and wish us bad luck.”
He narrated how Saul pursued the emerging warrior, David, to kill him out of jealousy and fear of being toppled, but Saul instead became an easier game for David but David did not lay a finger on the king of Israel.
He said the forgiving heart that David had, his reverence for God and what He had set aside and anointed made David win favour from the Lord and respect among his men.
He declared: “Indeed, the greatest man is not the one who takes revenge but one who realizes that he cannot do wrong in order to execute justice. Vengeance on our persecutors devolves to the Lord. At best, the sweetest revenge we dish out should flow from what the psalmist says about God: ‘the Lord is kind and merciful (103); for he does not treat us as our sins deserve.”’
Fr. Dorgbetor, who is a Canon of Christ the King Cathedral at Akatsi in Ghana’s Volta Region, on a visit to OLA told the Faithful that the virtue of loving their enemies however did not mean that Christians were to turn blind eye to oppressive situations or fail to work for a more just society.
“It rather means that we are to imitate Christ Jesus who gave up the right to pay back evil with evil and to even pray for the conversion of those we feel like hating,” he added.
“For many people, revenge is an option that satisfies. Vengeance provides immediate justice. It makes the other party also suffer so as to give us pleasure. Seeing people suffer for the wrongs they have done makes us feel that justice is dealt. Yes, in the world’s eye, this is justice. Unfortunately, this is not our Master Jesus’ way,” he stated.
Fr. Dorgbetor emphahsised, “Our world wants outright justice, yet Christ says no,” and lamented that “States and governments are so quick to rule in favour of capital punishment yet this is almost unnecessary today.”
He urged Christians for that matter Catholics not to impart a culture of revenge and bigotry to society and to children.
“If we greet only our friends, if we are ready to replace a dirty word with another insult or encourage our friends to take revenge on their offenders, are we not getting on the same level with the Gentiles?” he queried.
He, therefore, advised Catholics not to play active parts in condemning bad people but rather fall on their knees in prayer for their conversion.
He questioned: “Why will some parents sternly warn their children against some neighbours or forbid marriage from a particular family or tribe and even threaten to disown their own children on that ground? Why would someone rather wish to starve his family than accept donations from that neighbour? At Mass, why will you prefer sitting in the other pew to this one?”
He quoted his mother’s word on retaliation, which according to him has happened: “If the mad man picks your pant and you run after him naked, there is no difference between you two.”
As part of his visit to OLA, Fr. Dorgbetor introduced his new book: “When the Worst Happens” published in 2021 and encouraged Catholics and non-Catholics to get copies of the book, which raises important questions about our readiness to face worst times.
Quoting Charles Swindol, he said, “No one wants to be shipwrecked” but the reality is, it happens, not only on the open sea, but also in life.”
“Usually, we fail to draw closer to people at their worst because we are not clear in our minds as to how helpful we can be,” he said, adding, “This happens more often when our friend is fighting against the ferocity of natural events such as sickness, natural disasters and even bereavement.”
“Truth be told, helping a friend who is hurting is somewhat scary. It is a bit dicey,” he noted.
He told the faithful that when the worst happens, when everything breaks down beyond repairs, when all hope is lost and faith is difficult to embrace, the book emphasises that “you still have something to give God – your worst.”
The Book focuses on what happen to others and how they manage it (whether well or badly) and prepares something in people for their own journey. It is the preparation for the storms of life that the book sought to offer help.
Fr. Dorgbetor also spoke on his first published book titled: “What will people think? What will they say?”
In the 21 Chapters of the 220-page book published in 2019, the Author, Fr. Dorgbetor encourages all to truly be themselves and asserts that, “we will need friends who will not only appear with the sun and vanish as the moon appears.”
