{"id":140,"date":"2014-03-04T17:24:46","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T17:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joebright2013.wordpress.com\/?p=140"},"modified":"2020-01-22T13:47:23","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T13:47:23","slug":"the-evolution-of-the-faith-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aptnewsghana.com\/index.php\/2014\/03\/04\/the-evolution-of-the-faith-2\/","title":{"rendered":"‘THE EVOLUTION OF THE FAITH’"},"content":{"rendered":"

He is \u2018awesome\u2019! He has awakened my catholic faith. Pope Francis<\/span> \u2013 \u2018His Holiness\u2019! He leads us to understand what message \u2018Christ\u2019 according to the apostle St. Peter and his colleagues left for mankind that we accept to follow his examples, thus becoming Christians. And he\u2019s done that marvelously.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s helped remove the fears and clouds on my mind as what it means to be Christian and for that matter a catholic; that connects me to a supreme being GOD- the Father almighty, the Son and the Holy Ghost; the creator of heaven and earth, and all that is seen and unseen.<\/p>\n

Credit also goes to his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI<\/a> for the support accorded him to come thus far. Both have masterminded a religious crusade and evangelization, unprecedented in the history of the universal church.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.\u201d The Pope said.<\/i><\/p>\n

As a young catholic it is indeed very refreshing that young Catholics particularly in Ghana would realize what the obsessions are and the procedures which in the body of the church as gone through \u2018evolution\u2019. Pope Francis in his \u201capostolic exhortation,\u201d to the world\u2019s 1.5 billion Catholics called for change in direction. A direction I call a bold and matured one that calls for intellectual reforms, that accommodates and absorbs the shocks from perceived \u2018evils\u2019 in social structures at the parishes, out-stations, and more important the family.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

As Time magazine\u2019s \u2018person of the year 2013\u2019 The Vatican has accepted Time\u2019s choice and made it clear \u201cthe man so widely recognized for his own humility didn\u2019t seek the award and didn\u2019t want its light to shine on him but on the mission of the church\u201d.<\/p>\n

In what I call the \u2018evolution of the faith\u2019<\/i>\u2013 What role is the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana, playing to ensure the major changes in the Roman Catholic Faith \u201c from the top down\u201d according to the Papacy<\/a> will be deserving and will be understood in our part of the universe. The Pope says he knows \u201cit will be a messy business but he expects his flock to dive in feet-first\u201d. His Holiness is expecting other parts of the church to change, and calls on Catholics to be unafraid of trying new things.<\/p>\n

In my blog \u2018GHANA 2014\u2019, I made mention of the need to innovate to overcome the challenges we face as a nation. The Church is a tool for social order but hasn\u2019t the power as compared to the political unit of our nation.\u00a0 But then, the power of the church is that which can influence politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated,\u201d the Pope said.<\/i><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

The reforms in the catholic faith should not be the introduction of \u2018prayer warriors\u2019 and \u2018charismatic renewal\u2019 and the \u2018militant\u2019 approach on the devil as it were.<\/p>\n

The Roman Catholic faith as I realized when growing up was built on quietness, meditative and reflective prayers so powerful that it shields the believer from any evil force. The Holy Rosary alone answers so many questions about the essence of our being. The addition of the Luminous Mystery to the existing \u2013 Joyous, Glorious and Sorrowful catalogues all facets of life per the experiences of the \u2018Messiah\u2019.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a new beginning, a \u2018revolution in the evolution of the faith\u2019. <\/i>How is the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference going about the survey of lay Catholics\u2019 opinions on Church teachings on sexual ethics and family life? According to some religious commentators, the changes are among others intended to win back support and membership in a secular society increasingly impatient with Church doctrine and reluctant to attend church services.<\/p>\n

What is the practical approach in strengthening the foundation of the church- the family? What role is the church playing to ensure that I don\u2019t lose my two adorable handsome boys to the \u2018gay community\u2019? I am a Ghanaian, an Akan and an African for that matter. I cannot stand the thought of my children being gay. We are not the once to judge but it\u2019s a war of planting mischief and disturbing the social beliefs that recognized authorities manipulate. But I will be a victor in my house. \u00a0So help me GOD\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe church\u2019s centralization, where all roads lead to Rome, and the \u201cwe\u2019ve always done it this way\u201d type of thinking\u00a0have hindered Catholics\u2019 ability to minister to local people in far-flung places, I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities,\u201d the Pope said.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

I also support administering the sacrament of holy matrimony without state license. The core value of the family in a traditional marriage should not be overlooked. You seek GOD\u2019s intervention in your marriage with the assistance of the church in receiving the sacrament. When it\u2019s no crime when one does not register a marriage with the Register General, Local Authority or Court the situation bars a faithful from partaking in the Eucharist. Why? Exposing the spirituality of marriage to the mercy of the state is causing headaches.<\/p>\n

The Catholic Church in Ghana at a time embraced polygamy, but its relation with celebration of the Eucharist by the lay catholic was also lost in the \u2018evolution\u2019. Our man has spoken:<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason; the Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.\u201d Francis said.<\/i><\/p>\n

The catechesis on the Holy Eucharist<\/a> is going through major transformation. Where is the voice of the Ghanaian Lay Catholic? To have the rights to the \u2018powerful medicine and nourishment\u2019; as prescribed by Jesus Christ<\/a> the \u2018Messiah\u2019 now reiterated to us by His Holiness Pope Francis.<\/p>\n

Pope Francis slams market \u2018tyranny\u2019<\/p>\n

Pope calls for major changes in Church<\/p>\n