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04.07.2018 Religion

Dedication And Selflessness Should Be The Hallmark Of God's Work

By GNA
Dedication And Selflessness Should Be The Hallmark Of God's Work
04.07.2018 LISTEN

The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra has held a public lecture to sensitize its members on the need to imbibe self-sacrifice as a prerequisite to serving God.

The lecture, which was the first of its kind in the archdiocese, seeks to entrench evangelism as a way of life for Catholics in consonance with the selfless missionary work done by the early missionaries who came to Africa with the gospel.

The lecture, which was on the theme, 'Celebrating 125 Years of Catholic Mission in Accra: Renewing Our Commitment to Evangelization,' was held at the St. Bakhita Catholic Church, Lashibi, Tema.

In his key note address, the Parish Priest of the St. Augustine Catholic Church, Asante Akyem Agogo of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese, Monsignor Matthew Edusei, observed that sacrifice was what defined God's work instead of prosperity which had become the main message of most churches.

Lamenting how money had come to dominate the thinking of many Christians, he said, 'What has happened is this, that money is powerful. If I can combine money with salvation, I've got everything. The best of this world and the hereafter. That is all. There is no sacrifice, there is nothing.'

He observed that Christianity had existed on the basis of sacrifice and martyrdom but, 'Suddenly they find a way to ignore that; they hate the cross and now they tell you that you are going to be very happy in this world and that is the gate way to heaven. That is the gospel heard every day. After two thousand years of Christianity, we are lost.'

Msgr Edusei, who was also the former Rector of St. Peters Regional Seminary, Cape Coast, alluded to Jesus chasing out money changers in the temple and turned over their tables 'and told them to stop turning the house of prayer into a market place. How come we have brought them all back again?'

He informed that without the cross, one could not preach the authentic gospel, informing that people find prosperity message very popular and are easily deceived.

The Archbishop of Cape Coast and the Apostolic Administrator of Accra Arch Diocese, Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, admonished Catholics to observe the principle of the multiplier effect which would help increase the membership of the Catholic Church and send the gospel to as many people as possible.

The Archbishop admonished Catholics to be ambassadors of the church in their work places, in political parties and other places they found themselves and exhibit the spirit of selflessness that was the mark of the earlier missionaries of the gospel.

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