RENEWING OUR BELIEF IN GHANA

Page 7: Daily Graphic, April 9, 2012 OVER the weekend, Christians throughout the country commemorated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ with church services. Some institutions and individuals also demonstrated the belief in mankind by hosting the deprived to parties and other charitable activities. In the Christian faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ represents the destruction of evil things in the lives of adherents and a rebirth of good values. Christians are, therefore, expected to lead lifestyles that represent this new beginning. The power of the resurrected Christ is expected to take away negative attitudes such as envy, greed, corruption, immorality and intolerance and help us lead lives that portray us as followers of Christ. In that way, we will benefit from the first gift of Christ after His resurrection, which is peace. We cannot say we have enjoyed the gift of Easter if we still lead lives that are an affront to the teachings of Jesus Christ. If we do that, where will be the peace that Jesus Christ gave us after His resurrection? Ghana is preparing for the 2012 general election with the ongoing biometric registration exercise. The concerns of Ghanaians were echoed by Rev Fr Christopher Sackey in his sermon at the Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Church: “We wonder what will happen on election day if Ghanaians cannot tolerate one another even during the registration exercise.” We cannot profess to be religious by just parading ourselves in gorgeous apparels in churches and singing and dancing to the glory of God if our lifestyles do not glorify the God we claim to worship and serve. The Daily Graphic believes that the light of the risen Christ must continuously be seen in the things we do and say throughout the year. We cannot afford to be putting up sanctimonious behaviour during the festivities and go back to our bad ways after them. If we are able to walk the talk of the various sermons at Easter, then we can say that the forces of evil, sin, oppression and death have been overpowered by good, truth, love, peace and uprightness. Just as most Christians used the occasion to renew their baptismal vows and commitment to God, the Daily Graphic urges Ghanaians to renew their faith in the country. We must remind ourselves that there is no place like home, a fact we cannot lose sight of. We must, therefore, avoid indulging in activities or making statements that have the tendency to tear this country apart. The culture of lies, violence, hatred and avarice have no place in our hearts henceforth. We must let the joy of the season reflect in all we do. The Daily Graphic urges our political party leadership to lead the way towards peace by halting the bitterness and resentment that seem to be at the heart of politicking in the country. The values of Easter are crucial for a successful and peaceful general election and we must all demonstrate these values by accommodating our political opponents during the registration. We must forgive and forget the differences that have created so much tension and confusion in our body politic and let the radiant light of Christ shine in our hearts. We have no choice.