Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Salifu, the Parish Priest of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Atomic, Accra, has encouraged Marshallans in the Accra Archdiocese to always read and understand the Bible practically and prayerfully.
Speaking at the on the topic, “The Bible, a two-edged sword in our world of chaos” at the 4th edition of the New Year School organized by the Accra Central Regional Court and Council of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, he advised them on how to read the Bible prayerfully, continuously, and thematically.
He told them to start with the short books and to read not just a verse but to read in context and asked, “How do I apply this in my life, how does the message apply to me, what areas of my life is this relevant?”
The 2025 New Year School, which was held on March 31, 2025, at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka, was attended by members of the Noble Order, including senior Brothers and Sisters as well as juniors.
Addressing participants at the seminar, Fr. Salifu touched on the approach in understanding the Bible.
He said, “Scholars attempt to recover the most original version of biblical books, because no originals exist, only copies. These scholars compare different translations of the Scriptures to understand more clearly the meaning of a given passage”.
“Scholars work to uncover the historical situation, or Sitz im Leben, of the writer at the time a particular book or story was written. Scholars look at the Scriptures and seek to understand them as a work of literature”, he added.
According to him, scholars attempt to identify if the biblical authors used an existing story, myth, or other literature as the basis for their work.
During the plenary session, Fr. Salifu engaged the participants on the topic “The Holy Bible, Treasure to renew the spirit, body, mind, and soul,” during which the members were divided into groups for a workshop session to discuss practical tools to read and interpret the Bible.
Participants shared their thoughts on how educative the session was and called for more active participation from other members.
Speaking to the host Council and Court at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Bro. Grant Desbordes, Grand Knight, and Sis. Dr. Agartha Debrah, Noble Lady, expressed appreciation for hosting the 2025 New Year School as it coincides with their 25th anniversary.
The leadership of the Noble Order seeks to open its doors to other societies of the church to participate in the New Year School program in subsequent years.
By Celestine Edem Gbologah//Newswatchgh.com
