Glory of God Prayer Group, St. Cecilia Parish, Wa Diocese, Ghana - Let Your Light Shine

Saint of the Day

Meaning of the universe

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning. C. S. Lewis

Pray and work

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. Saint Augustine

Aim at heaven

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. C. S. Lewis

What does love look like?

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. Saint Augustine

Pride of a false knowledge

Don't be proud of a false knowledge that there is no God when you are not God.   Felix Dordaa Mahama

The beginning of good works

The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works. Saint Augustine

God judged it better

God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist. Saint Augustine

Lay first the foundation of humility

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. Saint Augustine

God dispenses beauty even to the wicked

Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked. Saint Augustine

The unexamined life

The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates

God is happiness and peace

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. C. S. Lewis

We do it to God

There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible. Mother Teresa

Perfect moderation

To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation. Saint Augustine

There is God

I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is. Albert Camus

Man cannot diminish God's glory

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. C. S. Lewis

Courage

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C. S. Lewis

if you love until it hurts

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. Mother Teresa

Truth

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. C. S. Lewis

Money is not enough

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go. Mother Teresa

Even the rich are hungry for love

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own. Mother Teresa

The answer to the question of whether miracles still happen in the Catholic Church has always raised follow-up questions in my mind. Yes, I know that miracles still happen in the Catholic Church, but if so why are so many Catholics still into idolatry, consulting gods and mallams everywhere at the sight of any small problem? Why do many Catholics not hear about these miracles?

How important are miracles in the Catholic Church and in our relationship with God?

I believe that our relationship with God should not be one where we always ask and ask and ask to receive miracles, but it should be mainly one of worship, for Jesus Christ our Lord said in Luke 12:29-31 that we should seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness and all other things shall be added unto us. But I also believe that miracles are very essential in the spiritual development of any Christian. Without miracles, we would not be able to trust in God.

For example, in the Old Testament, the only way that God was able to make the Israelites and peoples of other nations believe and recognize that He was the almighty God was through miracles. We can mention a few instances as the exodus (deliverance from slavery in Egypt) – Exodus 5ff, Moses and the burning bush – Exodus 3, when the Israelites miraculously won battles – Exodus 14, Exodus 17:8-16, Judges 7, etc.

In the New Testament, though people were moved to Jesus by His preaching, there is no doubt that a lot of people were moved to Jesus because of His miracles, e.g.  “…"What kind of man is this?" they said. "Even the winds and the waves obey him!"” – Matthew 8:23-27; if he were not the son of God he wouldn’t be able to work these miracles, etc. Even after His death on the cross, people exclaimed, “This man truly was the son of God.” – Matthew 27:54

On the day of Pentecost, 3000 people were converted by the preaching of Peter, but later many more were converted through miracles. E.g. Paul and Silas in prison – Acts 16:16-34, Ananias and his wife – Acts 5:1-12.

All these events and miracles revealed the mighty hand of God and made people believe that He was the true God and that He was mighty and able to deliver. The Israelites only believed and had trust in their God because of the miracles that He worked in their lives; many people believed that Jesus was the son of God because of the miracles that He performed (wedding of Cana - John 2:11); and many people believed that the apostles and their followers were serving the living God because of the wonders that were worked through them (they were able to overpower the powers of darkness).

The above testify that miracles are very important in Christian development. Therefore, I think it is necessary that Catholics are made to hear about the numerous miracles that are happening in the Church, in the lives of individuals who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and experienced His miracles. This will go a long way to help remove their ignorance and bolster their faith and trust in God. I believe that many Catholics stream to shrines and mallams because they have not been exposed enough to the power of God (they live in ignorance of the power of God). I can recount one live example.

Live example of ignorance

Two Christian women who were working in the same organization had a fight. Woman #1 told woman #2, “We shall see.” One day while woman #2 was in her room writing, with her door closed, woman #1 suddenly appeared behind her, with the door still closed. Woman #1 told woman #2, “I told you that we would see,” and left the room.

Woman #2 reported the case to their superiors at their work place. The superiors after talking to them assured woman #2 that everything was okay. However, not long after that woman #2 was travelling in a vehicle to a funeral with other passengers when the vehicle hit a tree and only woman #2 fell out of the vehicle and died. None of the other passengers was even bruised.

Woman #2 showed a very high degree of ignorance by reporting the problem to the work place. This was a spiritual problem that was supposed to be handled spiritually and not physically. From my observation, I can see that many Catholics, at least in the diocese in which I am, are in this kind of state of ignorance.

How to correct ignorance in the Catholic Church

This ignorance can only be addressed by telling the people about the wonders and miracles that God is performing in His Church. Again, from observation, most Catholics do not turn up for programs organized during the week meant to help us know more about our faith and to strengthen our faith in the Lord. On Sunday three masses are said in a parish and the church is filled to capacity in all of them, but when a program is organized during the week, you may not have up to 30 people turning up for it. This therefore makes it impossible for the wonders and miracles that God is working among His people in the Church to be communicated to people during programmes organized during the week.

Therefore the best time the miracles and wonders of God can be communicated to the faithful is during mass!

Importance of the mass

By saying this, I am not undermining what the mass is and how sacred it is. I recognize the fact that the mass is the center of all Christian worship. According to Fr. Paul Sullivan in his book The Wonders of the Mass, “the mass is the greatest wonder in the world. There is nothing on earth equal to it, and there is nothing in heaven greater than it. The next greatest wonder is the indifference and ignorance of Catholics regarding Holy Mass.” In the same book he says, "the first condition for hearing mass well is to understand thoroughly the infinite sanctity of the Holy Sacrifice and the graces it obtains.” Again he writes, “One mass heard with understanding and devotion obtains for us more graces than a hundred, than thousand masses heard carelessly and in ignorance of what the mass is.” Also The conciliar Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium encouraged the faithful to take part in the eucharistic liturgy not "as strangers or silent spectators," but as participants "in the sacred action, conscious of what they are doing, actively and devoutly" (p.156). These statements indicate that though the mass is so important, one misses a lot of precious graces when one hears mass without full understanding and reverence. Many Catholics hear mass in ignorance and without enough reverence because they don’t know what the mass is worth. Even though I have had a deep appreciation for the mass, it was after reading Fr O’Sullivan’s book that I gained a deeper insight to and appreciation for the mass and I believe that I will now receive more graces at mass than before.

But how many Catholics read Catholic books? And as stated above, how many Catholics attend week day programs that are designed to expose them to some of these things? But there is the need for them to know. I believe that God will be more honoured and more pleased if the mass is used to teach people to have more faith in him and to revere him better at mass than to have people follow rituals all the time and those rituals having little impact on their lives!

Conclusion

Therefore I will like to plead with the leaders of the Church to reconsider the mass; whether it is better to always go to church to follow certain laid down rituals which most Catholics do not even understand and appreciate or it is better to make room for certain things which are needed by Catholics for their spiritual growth and which can only get to the larger community at mass, to be introduced from time to time as necessary. An example is allowing some time during mass, especially before the final blessing is given for people to give testimonies that will strengthen the faith of others.

I believe that if this is done, there will be a great change in the lives of many Catholics and more importantly in their relationship with God.
God bless all His shepherds. Amen.

 

Do miracles still happen in the Catholic…

The answer to the question of whether miracles still happen in the Catholic Church has always raised follow-up questions in my mind. Yes, I know that miracles still happen in the Catholic Church, but if so why are so many Catholics still into idolatry, consulting gods and mallams everywhere at the sight of any small problem? Why do many Catholics not hear about these miracles? How important are miracles in the Catholic Church and in our relationship with God? I believe that... Read more>>>

Do I Need to Forgive Others to be Forgiv…

Dear ..., I hope this writeup meets you in good spirits. Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete the discussion we started, so I decided to put my thoughts together in this writeup for you to study. I hope you read this writeup with an open mind. I referred to Matthew 5:21-24, 38-48, Matthew 6:14,15 and Matthew 18:21ff to make the point that unforgiveness is one of the gravest sins, because it actually prevents your other sins from being forgiven. You challenged that a Christian can’t... Read more>>>

Make your every matter the Lord's

Shall the Lord be defeated in any matter? An Absolute No. But the problem is, is your matter the Lord's matter? If yes, be rest assured that it's settled. For whoever picks a bone with you, picks a bone with the Lord; whoever/whatever is fighting you is seen to be fighting the Lord. Learn to make your every matter the Lord's matter and you have no matter. Take it to the Lord in prayer.   Read more>>>

Respect dignities

When we despise dominion and speak evil of dignities we break the divine pattern and bring a tide of curse upon ourselves and those under our care. As those under our authority behold how we treat those in authority over us, they will become fuelled by the same spirit and start to treat us in a similar manner. Once this spirit enters into a community, that community will burst apart at some point fracturing along personality lines. This is the... Read more>>>

The agenda is on - The six stages of soc…

Social Deception very often is a process by which wrong becomes right, and right becomes wrong. It’s a complete paradigm shift of opinions, standards and morals that is achieved softly, subtly and often takes a generation to entrench into society. Those who engineer it are very deliberate and structured in their approach.   If you want to know what I am talking about, find out your mother’s views on things like sexuality and marriage and compare them with yours. The contrast in... Read more>>>

The Lord's prayer

Our Father, who is in heaven, holy is your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. OR Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give... Read more>>>

The unconditional love of Jesus Christ w…

{bib=Matthew 13:44-46} Have you ever fallen in love? Do you remember when the phone rang and he or she was on the other end? Your heart fluttered with excitement. You couldn’t wait to see your loved one again. However, the romantic attraction you’ve ever had is nothing compared to the way Jesus loves you. You’re always on his mind. To him, you are the “pearl of great price” ({bib=Matthew 13:46}). He gave up everything for your salvation. If only this would... Read more>>>

A brief history of the Holy Rosary and h…

What is the rosary? The angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary, when he came to announce the conception of Jesus, is familiar to most Catholics. It is echoed in one of the most popular Catholic prayers, the Hail Mary (in Latin, Ave Maria): “Hail, [Mary,] favoured one [or ‘full of grace’]! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). The words that follow in that prayer also come from Scripture, from Elizabeth’s greeting to our Lady soon afterward: “Blessed are you among women, and... Read more>>>

Understanding the book of Acts

Analysis of video condemning water baptism for gentiles(Understanding Acts)   It is very helpful to watch the complete video before reading my comments, so that you can have the full picture. Someone referred me to this video when we were discussing about baptism. The video claims that water baptism is not required by gentiles for salvation. I have analyzed the video and given my thoughts on it. I would have loved to post my comments directly on youtube, but comments have been disabled... Read more>>>

My soul belongs to Yahweh

Oh, satan, I pity you. I've just been reminded that my soul belongs to Yahweh, so u can't touch it. You are indeed a great loser.   Read more>>>

It's a hoax: NASA finds message fro…

This message has been circulating on the internet and elsewhere about the discovery of a message from God by NASA. This is part of the story: The original message "NASA announced today that its Curiosity Rover has found an unambiguous message from God written on tablets in a Martian cave. According to an official press release two giant stone slabs the size of small elephants were located deep inside a cavern abutting Aeolis Mons, a large mountain. Upon one tablet is a copy of the Ten... Read more>>>

You need to pray

DEAR BELOVED IN CHRIST, GET A LITTLE TIME AND READ AND GOD WILL BLESS YOU, AMEN. BEWARE of the times. You need to:??Pray for forgiveness??Pray for strength??Pray for knowledge ??Pray for wisdom??Pray for insight??Pray for understanding??Pray for strong faith??Pray for grace??Pray for peace??Pray for mercy??Pray for protection??Pray for Holy Ghost direction??Pray for power??Pray for spiritual guidanceso to withstand in all times.Whosoever seeks these but not wealth is founded on a rock.   Read more>>>

The unchangeable changer

The Israelites left Egypt with jewelry and clothes they didn't buy. May our enemies look on as we advance in wealth and health miraculously because the unchangeable changer and the great I AM is our God and his name and power is our solace. Cosmas Nanyaa   Read more>>>

Pursue Your Strengths

God has equipped each one of us with specific gifts and talents. It’s up to each of us to identify those gifts and be disciplined enough to develop them. You have to learn to stay in your strength zone. What are you naturally good at? What do you enjoy doing? Take the time to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and as the Scripture says, give yourself to your gifts. In other words, don’t spend all your time trying to improve... Read more>>>

In praise of the Lord

Who is it that visits the hot sun without getting burnt?Who else but the Lord of power Who is it that visits the cold moon without being frozen?Who else but the Lord of might Who is it that confines the seas with His hands?Who else but the Lord, the creator of the heavens and the earth Who is it that tames lions?Who else but the Lord Who is it that the winds obey?Who else but the Lord Who is it that waves obey?Who else but... Read more>>>

Living in a changed life

Three days fasting and prayers - Wednesday, 26th November, 2008 Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=1 Peter 4:1-6} “When you go to Rome, do what the Romans do” Once we want something from a certain place, we have to identify ourselves with that place and live like the people there (“When you go to Rome, do what the Romans do”). Once we change our state of life, we have to change the things that we do or the way we used to do them. In our... Read more>>>

Do not be terrified

Praise the Lord, my soul!O Lord, my God, how great you are!You are clothed with majesty and glory;you cover yourself with light.You have spread out the heavens like a tentand built your home on the waters above.You use the clouds as your chariotand ride on the wings of the wind.You use the winds as your messengers and flashes of lightning as your servants.You have set the earth firmly on its foundations, and it will never be moved. Good day dear one, the God... Read more>>>

The Father

I begin my day not knowing what went into the night as I slept.I wake up every morning to see the clear beautiful bright sky.I hear the birds of the air sing and fly stylishly across the sky.I see trees wave their leaves in the air.I see animals of all kind around the land.I see people like me doing one thing or the other.I wonder and ponder over it … The FATHER’S love.   Oh yes!  The FATHER’S love:So great, so steep,So... Read more>>>

Prevailing prayers

Greetings My dear brothers and sisters, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith and the sustainer of all living beings. Today I want us to look at the subject of prayer and its place in the life of a believer. What is prayer? Prayer is a communication, and the kind that takes place between God and the believer. In fact prayer is the meeting point between divinity and... Read more>>>

Hail Mary ...

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. OR Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of... Read more>>>