Drop the jar of bitterness, unforgiveness – Rev. Fr. Courage Dogbey

Catholics have been admonished to leave their problems and worldly desires behind and reconcile with God and their neighbours as they encounter Jesus in the season of Lent.

Reverend Father (Rev. Fr.) Courage Dogbey who made the call was delivering a sermon at the St. Dominic Catholic Church at Taifa in Accra on the Third Sunday of Lent.

He said, though God has put in every human an inner desire which can only be satisfied by God himself, as Christians and for that matter Catholics, they must learn to have upper hands on these bodily desires as they fast and pray to await the crucifixion of Christ the Messiah.

“God has put in us an inner desire which can only be satisfied by God himself. We must pray and know our human desires so as to have an upper hand on them,” he cautioned.

Touching on the Biblical conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman as found in John 4:5-42, he asked Catholics and Christians to develop the attitude of prayer which offers the opportunity to dialogue with God.

According to the Parochial Vicar of the St. Dominic Catholic Church, when the Samaritan woman encountered Jesus at the well (where she went to draw water), she dialogued with him, left her water jar, proclaimed her findings with others, and through that she had a renewed spirit and repented from her sins.

“The Samaritan Woman left her jar after she encountered Jesus. We must learn to leave the jar of bitterness, unforgiveness, worldly desires and all our sins. Drop the yam!” he said.

Rev. Fr. Dogbey also advised against selfishness and emphasized the need for alms given among Catholics as they continue to pray and fast in the preparation toward the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"When we have an encounter with God we must proclaim that encounter and let others share in our experience. Your encounter with Jesus must not end with you, others must experience it. Don’t only pray and fast, but give alms as well,” he entreated.