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

Saint of the Day

campaigning weather for the devil

The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil. C. S. Lewis

Belief in Christianity

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. C. S. Lewis

You can't get a cup of tea big enou…

You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.   C. S. Lewis

Suffering of God's son

God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering. Saint Augustine

Our walking is our preaching

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. Francis of Assisi

Prayer does not change God

Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. Soren Kierkegaard

A simple smile

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. Mother Teresa

Progress

We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. C. S. Lewis

You must go through the experiences

The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences. Saint Augustine

Courage

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

Importance of Christianity

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C. S. Lewis

The gift of overcoming self

Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self. Francis of Assisi

As we are, such are the times

If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times. Saint Augustine

unwanted, unloved

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. Mother Teresa

Fear vs reverence

Where there is reverence there is fear, but there is not reverence everywhere that there is fear, because fear presumably has a wider extension than reverence. Socrates

Passion

Passion is the evil in adultery. If a man has no opportunity of living with another man's wife, but if it is obvious for some reason that he would like to do so, and would do so if he could, he is no less guilty than if he was caught in the act. Saint Augustine

Believe that you may understand

Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. Saint Augustine

Hear the other side

Hear the other side. Saint Augustine

Forgive those who hurt you

One who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice; and it is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man, however much we have suffered from him. Socrates

Improve yourself by other men's wri…

Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for. Socrates

EASTER - Yr B, March 30 (Vigil) & 31 (1st Sunday), 2024

Readings - Vigil
1st: Genesis 1:2-2:2
2nd: Genesis 22:1-18
3rd: Exodus 14:15-15:1
4th: Is 54:5-14
5th: Isaiah 55:2-11 Is
6th: Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4
7th: Ezekiel 36:16-17, 18-28
8th: Romans 6:3-11
Gospel: Mark 16:1-7

First Sunday
1st: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
2nd: Colosians 3:1-4
Gospel: John 20:1-9

Theme: The Empty Tomb/Resurrection (Easter) for you and I

My dear people of God, the family that endures together should also rejoice together. "If we die with Christ we shall rise with Him" and, therefore, rejoice with Him. We began our 40-day Lenten pilgrimage with the humble signing of Blessed ashes on Ask Wednesday and plunged earnestly into a solemn and sober reflection and self mortification through Prayer, Penace and Works of Mercy (charity) for forty days. Traditionally, Lent ends with the Lord's Last Supper and urshers us into the Tridium - the (3 days) events of the Pascal Mysteries - the Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus with a Salvivic culmination - The Empty Tomb storry, Easter. Therefore, we begin the solemn season of Easter with the Vigil Mass tonight. Easter brings to perfection the saving works of Salvation God has begun in each one of us as individuals and as a Faith Community. The carefully selected readings of the Vigil Mass vividly recall how God continuously saves his people throughout history and, in the fulness of time, sends his only Begotten Son to save and redeem the world by His Holy Cross, the Tree of Life. It is safe, therefore, to assert that the Cross and the Resurrection are inseparably linked. Take away the Cross (Calvary) and there would be no Resurrection and, therefore, no Christianity. What this means is that, any road that does not necessarily pass through Calvary to the Empty Tomb is fake, totally misleading and very dangerous. Many a follower of Christ at our time want a Crown without a Cross, a genuine success void of great sweat. There can never be a short cut or wide gate to the Empty Tomb. An anonymous author once joked, " No one goes to heaven with dry eyes". Our reflections would focus on the Theme - A limited attempt to answering the question, "What is the meaning of the Empty Tomb/Resurrection, from personal experience? We shall do this under sub themes.

The Empty Tomb simply means evil cannot reign forever, neither can it have the final say in any human affair. Easter is an assurance that love has outlived hatred, life is stronger than death and that darkness and Light cannot co-exist for any reason. This is what we usually see and experience when we follow the Pascal Candle from the bonfire into the "dark, seemingly deserted and symbolically desolate Church". The arrival and entrance of the priest carrying the Pascal Candle - Christ the Light - into the Church puts darkness to flight, to the glory of God. Temporarily, evil/darkness may appear to thrive because, by its very nature, evil appears very attractive and can win supporters with relative ease. The Good Friday unprecedented events confirm this fact - for the first time in human history the whole world was against one man just because He stood for nothing but the truth/light. In the process of planning and/or supporting evil, reasoning powers are usually badly incapacitated and the natural ability to think and see straight fall miserably below zero percent. This is verifiable from the blind and uncritical support the so-called religious and political leaders got from the ordinary masses on that concerted plan and call to crucify Jesus. Eventually the Empty Tomb points to how the baseless hatred and calculated lies all came to nothing. Throughout that orchestrated process, no one could reason beyond the fabricated public opinion, no one could think critically and no one could see with and/or through neutral lenses. This, unfortunately, is still the world we live in, after almost 2024 years of Christianity. People easily believe in everything, prepared to follow anybody and ready to do anything. The Empty Tomb also implies that Truth cannot be buried, forever. Bury truth and it would resurrect third (one) day. What is refreshing is the fact that even the calculated and presumed weight of the stone could not prevent the Resurrection.

Given the above undeniable fact, the thought of the Empty Tomb should be an uninterrupted source of hope and joy. "If God is with us, who can be against us", "For He so loves the world that He gives His only Begotten Son that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life". "And while we were still sinners, Jesus died to save us". Therefore, a sad Christian is a living contradiction to the Empty Tomb message - Gospel, Good News. Yes, we are sinners, but now freed. A freed slave has no reason to remain sad and gloomy. Shockingly, some Christians leave Church looking so sad, dismal and facially worried as if they are carrying the burdens of the whole world; as if it pains them more to smile than to frown. Cheer up, my sister/brother, you are a winner in the Risen Christ. Your problem or burden cannot be bigger than the STONE. This ONE too shall pass. The Resurrection cannot mean nothing to you. May Divine Mercy locate you and every member of your family wherever you are during and beyond this great season of grace. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you; because, by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world. Please, continue to make time to recite the Holy Rosary daily. God richly bless you and your family.

Rev. Fr. Thomas L. Debuo - Catholic Diocese of Damongo, Ghana. ( 0244511306 / 0243711926)

Reckoning my past as loss for the sake o…

Three days fasting and prayers -28th - 30th May, 2008Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=Philippians 3:7-9} Background of St. Paul St. Paul was a Pharisee. He was a scholar well respected. He had the right to be called a Jew and to be hailed by his own people and by other people. Everyone loves uniqueness and the Israelites were unique; and St. Paul could choose to hold on to this uniqueness without caring about the rest of the world.  He could choose to stick to... Read more>>>

Pack your things and give them to me to …

Drama this Morning:  My wife and I were having a serious quarrel when I said to her, "Pack your things and ...." At that moment her phone rang, so I had to stop for her to receive the call. It was her dad. The phone was on speaker so I could hear what he was saying. After the usual pleasantries between father and daughter, he said: "my daughter, I have transferred $1,000,000 into your account, give your husband $500,000 out... Read more>>>

The rotten generation

 Aaah! Oooh!I can smell the smokeThe smoke of the burning generationGeneration of darkness and crimeDark, deep, deeper than the bottomless pit   This rotten generationMakes my heart bleedI am filled with sorrow about how morality Is being thrown away Like a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist Aah! What a generation of it-doesn’t-matter   This rotten generationPursues the youth with its rotten fingersCapture them, harden their hearts like stonesThe youth no more see the light Jesus Christ has become deviant crime Drugs and... Read more>>>

Advice to young girls

The moment you agree to date a married man,you agree to be a second class woman andevery second class person is classified as a person of lower value.Now look at it this way.If he is with you and his wife calls,he lies that he is still in the office or on an official assignment.You dare not interrupt his conversation or quiry him, but you can't call him when he is at home....... My sister you be toy? He sneaks you from... Read more>>>

Wrong moral living or wrong moral teachi…

Difference between wrong moral living and wrong moral teachings Some people confuse the two concepts of wrong moral living and wrong moral teaching. If we study scripture carefully, we will realize that right from the beginning God has condemned both wrong moral living and wrong moral teaching. However, we also realized that even so, there has been no period in history when the world has been completely rid of evil or wrong moral living. Abraham, for instance, could not wait patiently for... 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>>>

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>>>

Who pushed me?

A wealthy man had only one daughter. When the daughter was of marriage age, the father sent news around town that all the eligible young men should come to compete in a test which would determine who was fit to marry his daughter. On the set day, all able-bodied young men came out. Some came with paper and pen and others with cutlasses and swords. The rich man took them to his swimming pool and addressed them:“Any of you who can swim from... 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>>>

In your presence: prayer

Lord Jesus I need your presence in my life. Your presence is so sweet because you are a sweet Lord. When I rose from bed this morning, I felt so lonely, I felt so fearful because of all the difficulties I faced yesterday. I felt so uncertain about what was going to happen today. Review of previous day's events Early in the morning Ok, Lord, let’s review some of the things that happened yesterday. When I woke up in the morning, my children... 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>>>

What does God say about your problems?

A personal reflection on 23rd July 2011{bib=2 Kings 19:1-37} (start at {bib=2 Kings 18:13}) OR {bib=Isaiah 36, 37} {bib=2 Kings 19:3} – When you are in grief, do you pick a boyfriend/girlfriend for help; do you consult another god, do you start looking for a way to extort other people, do you throw your hands up in despair?               – When you are in shame do you show your enemies? {bib=2 Kings 19:6} – What are you going through now? Sickness, joblessness, underpayment, frustration... 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>>>

Knowing the God you serve: God will forg…

Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=Judith 5:17-21} What if I were God? Would I be able to forgive the many wrongs that people do, even after they confess? When I examine my own thoughts and emotions and when I listen to contributions to the Friday morning toaster programme, I wonder what would happen to us if God were a human; He is so full of mercy and compassion, sometimes I wonder if I were God I would be able to forgive some of... Read more>>>

The Apostles' creed

I believe in God, The Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the... Read more>>>

Is the Bible the Final Authority?

This article has been inspired by the conflict that exists within Christianity mainly due to the interpretation of the bible (the genuine cases). First of all it is important for us to understand the place of the bible in Christianity before we can properly apply it to Christian spirituality. This article seeks to use the dealings of God with his people Israel, the dealings of Jesus and the apostles with the early Christians, the bible itself and common sense to... Read more>>>

There is hope

There is hope for a tree that has been cut down; it can come back to life and sprout. Even though its roots grow old, and its stump dies in the ground, with water it will sprout like a young plant. ({bib=Job14:7-9}). Take heart, the Lord of Hosts is still able, the mighty God of wonders is still at work, the rock of ages is gracious and Jehovah Jire is still providing our needs according to his riches in glory in... Read more>>>

About the Faith Outreach Ministry

Introduction to the Faith Outreach Ministry “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 Background information on the Faith Outreach Ministry Basis of the Faith Outreach Ministry In 1991 the Catholic Charismatic Renewal organised a Life in the Spirit Seminars (LSS) program for some members, and as the Lord promised in Acts 1:8, He poured... Read more>>>

Who has more followers: God or satan?

Please finish reading before you do anything else right now; read this to the end. My name is God. I know you will give your time to me. I love you and always bless you. I am always with you. I need you to spend 30 minutes of your time with me today. Don't pray. Just praise. Today I want this message across the world. Will you help? Please drop everything & pass it on. Tell the devil you are... 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>>>