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Tag: #Felix Ekpe

  • We Are Called To Be Vigilant, Called To Prepare Our Hearts And Be Watchful For The Coming Of The Son Of God BY FELIX EKPE

    We Are Called To Be Vigilant, Called To Prepare Our Hearts And Be Watchful For The Coming Of The Son Of God BY FELIX EKPE

     

    Being a Homily delivered during the 9:00am (Second Mass) at Holy Trinity Parish, Ogboja Ogoja, by the Parish Priest, Very Rev Fr Felix Ovai Ekpe

    First Sunday of Advent.

    Advent begins with a horizon of hope. Adventus in Latin means “arrival” or “coming”. The coming of the One whose arrival changes everything.

    Advent reminds us that God draws near to humanity. It is a season that invites us to move forward spiritually, to awaken, and to prepare.
    The season of Advent comes with many signs. The priest wearing purple symbolizes penance and purification a sign of metanoia, a true change of heart. This is why we are called in this season to prepare our hearts.

    St. Paul gives us three key attitudes for Advent:
    Cast away the pains and burdens of our hearts.
    Reject the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Live with discipline, avoiding drunkenness and every excess.

    There are some people who work from January to November, many squander everything in December. Advent calls us to a different path, a path of discipline, reflection, and spiritual renewal.

    The best preparation for the coming of Christ is the preparation of the soul. Advent is a new beginning. A time to start over. A time to put off anything that makes us spiritually old, jealousy, hatred, resentment, and bitterness.

    It is a time to put God first in all we do, so that even those who do not know God may see Him reflected in our lives.
    Advent is a call to watch and pray, to recognize the challenges of our time. Psalm 141:1–4 reminds us to guard our hearts, our thoughts, and our actions.

    We are called to discipline ourselves, to resist the enemy, and to nurture a prayerful life. How else can Christians return to God if not through prayer?

    As we begin a new liturgical year, let everything about us be made new. Let us begin again, a life that reflects Christ, a life that speaks of Christ. Carry others in your heart with love, even when they go about their lives unaware.
    Let go, reconcile, and seek peace. When we pursue God above all things, the outcome is peace, peace that only the Lord can give. But when we pursue the things of this world, we remain restless until we possess them, and even then, they do not satisfy us, we year more for the latest version.

    At Christmas, we celebrate the God who came for His people. As we seek forgiveness for our sins, we are called to become agents of forgiveness ourselves.
    We pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” and we must live that prayer.

    Let us not deceive ourselves by merely putting up lights or outward decorations, let us instead embrace the virtues of Christ, mercy, forgiveness, humility, and love.

    I wish you peace, and may that peace, which comes only from the Lord, fill your hearts this Advent season

  • Bishop Akpan Charges Priests To Prioritize Building Befitting Place Of Worship Over Rectories, As He Rededicate Holy Trinity Parish

    By Elijah Ugani 

    The local ordinary and Bishop of Ogoja Diocese, the Most Rev Donatus Edet Akpan, has charged shepherds of the flock to prioritize building of God’s temple over R
    rectories where they live.

    Bishop Akpan made the charge during the rededication of Holy Trinity Parish Ogboja-Ogoja, today December 13th 2024.

    The Bishop commended the Parish Priest, Very Rev Fr Felix Ekpe, for leading the christain faithfuls to remodel the beautiful place of worship, congratulated him and noted that the temple is made decent and sacred.

    In his words “With what Fr Felix has done here, it is a great challenge thrown to us, the shepherd of the flocks begining with me. We should not build rectories as mansions and abandon the temple of God, build a good place of worship and ensure that what is dedicated to God accommodate God”.

    He admonished christains to support priests who wants to build a place of worship, when he said “When any priest demands that we build a place of worship for your use, please don’t hesitate to do so, so that a beautiful place of worship will be put up”

    The Bishop reiterated the sacredness of the temple and assured that “If anyone enters this temple to pray, God will hear the person.
    We must be careful how we handle this temple, it is holy.

    “Two things in this celebration are brought together. One is earthly and the other is spiritual. The physical, we see, the spiritual we can not see. God uses the teachings of St Paul talking about our bodies. If we realize that God talks to us both physical and spiritual, we have become one with God.
    We have to see and use this physical structure in a way that God is happy with us. If we do not have regards for God, you will not have regards to what is dedicated to him. If we desecrate what is dedicated to him, we destroy our very foundation.

    When we visit traditional rulers, we pay homage to them. Some people when they visit the Bishop, including some clergies, they pull their shoes and walk bare footed.

    “They have shown regards towards the person they believe have some authority over them. But if you come to the house of God and walk carelessly, you must try to remember that this place you’re going to is not like every other place. God lives here.

    “When you regard and believe that God is in this temple, when you ask, you must get results for what you ask for. Some people don’t believe, they run into the church, the kind of things they do, they eat chewing gum inside the church during mass, and sometimes their phone rings, you see a faithful Catholic brings out a phone and talking in low tune during mass. They don’t have time to dedicate few hours for God. You have to develop faith in you”.

    He further charges priests to ensure that God’s temple remains sacred”What the pastor does is to ensure that the place of worship looks sacred” he added.

    Commenting on the beautiful edifice, Bishop Akpan said “If you enter a place of worship and it looks like this, surely you will believe that God is there.

    “I congratulate Fr Felix Ekpe for leading you to put this place of worship to look like this. May all who contributed to make this place look like this experience joy and fulfillment. May God reward you all. Like David, who said I live in a mansion and God house looks like a tent. I will build a temple for the Lord, you have done what David did, may God reward you abundantly.

    “This place is made decent and sacred, Fr Felix congratulations. Some human beings are careless. Anything goes.

    “Jesus beats some people who misused the temple. You may not see Jesus physically when you misuse this temple. The beating may follow you to wherever you go. Show regards to what is Holy and dedicated to God. Some people may be reluctant to sweep the temple. Nobody should see him/herself too big to clean the church, make efforts to preserve this temple”.

    He encouraged christains to see God in the temple noted “In places where we have chapel of adoration, a lot of people do not go to the main church to seek God. The chapel is an emergency place for the priest”.

    He admonished christains to see their bodies as the temple of the holy spirit and treat it same as the temple that is rededicated today said “Some people believe that they can do what they like with themselves. As you regard the sacredness of this temple, that is how you should regards your bodies, because it is the temple of God. You cannot do what you like with your body because you will give an account of what you do with your body. Do you realize that you’re God’s temple and the spirit of God dwells in you? You have children, will you not just wake up and kill your child. Your child is part of your body. I commend your efforts and may God reward you”.

    The mass was attended by priests numbering 40, religious, guests and parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish Ogboja-Ogoja.