Use Easter to promote harmony in society — clergy
Christian religious group leaders have urged Ghanaians to use the Easter festivities to set aside their differences and forge ahead in peace and unity.
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That, they said, required that Ghanaians rise above disappointments and past failures, as well as seek to be reconciled with those they might have offended.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC), the Church of the Province of West Africa (Anglican Communion) and the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), in their Easter messages, said Easter was not just about hope but also something that should draw Ghanaians, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political differences, to unite to deal with the challenges confronting the nation.
Catholic Bishops
In its message signed by its President, the Most Rev. Philip Naameh, the GCBC said Christ’s message of peace should calm the personal anxieties and fears of Ghanaians.
“It should assure us that we are able to rise above disappointments and past failures. It should enable us to forgive ourselves, forgive those who have hurt us and also seek to be reconciled with those we might have offended,” it said.
It said as a nation, Christ message of peace should assure the nation that Ghana was able to overcome everything that had come to symbolise death to the people.
The message said the country could overcome the scourge of sickness, eradicate poverty and end the carnage on the roads.
“The message of Easter must encourage us to put an end to all moral ills; it is time to turn our backs on dishonesty, indecency, bribery and corruption, indiscipline, disrespect for our elders, intemperate language, violence and vengeance.
“The message of Easter must help us turn our efforts to healing the wounds of division, reconciling broken families, reuniting communities, settling disputes among people of different political persuasions and religious faiths,” it said.
Anglican Communion
The Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa (Anglican Communion), the Most Rev. Professor Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, said: "The redemptive work of Jesus Christ, God in Christ Jesus, will draw us Christians and Ghanaians, irrespective of our political divide, to Himself and to one another as one people with a common destiny," reports Kwame Asare Boadu.
He told the Daily Graphic that the message of Easter emphasised the need for tolerance and forgiveness in all facets of national life.
The Most Rev. Prof. Yinkah Sarfo, who is also the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Kumasi Diocese of the Anglican Church, said the first lesson Ghanaians and Christians had to learn from Jesus Christ was his patience and humility.
"We must be patient enough to tolerate one another; be humble to one another, forgive one another and, with unity, continue to build the prosperous and peaceful country Ghana, the Black Star of Africa," he said.
He stated that the resurrection of Jesus on the third day was a reminder to Christians that "death cannot end the life of a believer in Christ Jesus".
The Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop emphasised resurrection was the hope and cornerstone of the Christian faith.
Christian Council
Doreen Andoh reports that the CCG, in its message, appealed to Ghanaians to be inspired by the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to sacrifice to build a better future for the unborn generation.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the General Secretary of the council, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, called on Ghanaians to prioritise the act of sacrifice and lay down their lives for the future generation.
He said acts of sacrifice needed to be exemplified in the home, church, school, hospital, in politics and in all private and public life.
“The country will see the desirable conditions we all wish for if religious, political, traditional and family leaders and all those in authority will ‘lay down’ their lives for one another,” he said.
Family and society
On family life, Rev. Dr Opuni-Frimpong underscored the need for families to use the Easter period to reflect on what sacrifices they could make to ensure that the home became a safer and better place to live.
“Family members must draw closer to one another even as the blood of Christ draws us closer to God,” He said.
In his Easter message, the Apostle General of the Royal House Chapel, Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah, said: “As Christians, we celebrate with great joy because the events of this season, more than 2,000 years ago are what marked the turning point for humanity from a life of darkness, spiritual death and defeat into hope and eternal life.”
Easter, he said, was “thus a solemn but joyous celebration of our victory over death and restoration with God through the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”.
He said there was the need for Ghanaians to emulate that perfect example of love and sacrifice by casting off issues such as politics, ethnicity, creed and social standing that divided them and pursue genuine peace and unity in their homes, schools, churches and offices.
“The message of Easter — forgiveness and restoration — must define our attitudes as a nation,” he added.