A SUMMARY ON THE PASTORAL LETTER OF MOST REV. PETER ODETOYINBO THE CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ABEOKUTA DIOCESE, 2018
GO INTO THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOOD NEWS:
MARK 16:15,
A SUMMARY ON THE PASTORAL LETTER OF MOST REV. PETER ODETOYINBO THE CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ABEOKUTA DIOCESE, 2018
The Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta, Most Rev. Dr Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo has emphasised the need to promote the ideals of the kingdom of God through the preaching of the Gospel. The Bishop captures the essence of the missionary mandate in his recent pastoral letter addressed to the clergy and lay faithful of the diocese in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
The Pastoral message resonates with the continuous effort to improve and promote the missionary activities which are pivotal to the evangelisation programmes in the diocese of Abeokuta. According to the Chief Shepherd, the good news of the gospel must be spread in every nooks and corner of the diocese dethroning the menace of fake news flying everywhere. Every Catholic, particularly in Abeokuta diocese, is enjoined to stand-up to be counted in faith and morals, restoring hope and confidence through a joyful proclamation of the good news.
Every baptised Christian is commissioned to take active roles in the saving mission of Christ. Christ faithful are called in different ways, forms, and means to be the mouths, eyes, hands, and feet of Jesus in the tasks of evangelisation making them the disciples of all nations. ( Mat 28: 18-20). The Bishop highlighted the fact that there is a growing concern in many Christian communities and many Christians are becoming antithetical to God’s love and mercy, breeding great danger for believers. The persistent and unending woes of sufferings, hunger, and all forms of vices further lent weight to the irreconcilable agonies in many faith communities rid of real joy.
The fall of Adam and Eve is traceable to the loss of inner joy due to the breakdown of the Joyful links to God. After the great fall, man lost the friendship and consequently earned the displacement from the paradise. In the quest to save humanity, the love of God reigns supreme, cancelling the faults and failings through the precious blood of his begotten Son, who became the redeemer of the world. To this purposeful end, the baptised are shown the way of love which is the way of life; the right path marked out for every believer by receiving and proclaiming the Good news of Christ.
The call to become a sincere and committed evangelist is a divine call that demands an immediate and corresponding response to boost the collaborating efforts of evangelisation. In the context of Abeokuta diocese, the Local Ordinary noted that many places need urgent and swift attention in the development of the Catholic faith. Effective catechesis and all forms of support for the promotion of vocation must be put into consideration to multiply the children of the kingdom.
Pope Francis in his encyclical, Deus Caritas est (Dec25, 2015) affirmed that the love for widows and orphans, less privileged is as essential as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching the Gospel. He insisted that we create a proper and conducive environment that allows each person to live in a dignified manner. It implies a sustained effort to a sustainable change in the fight against corruption and all forms of vices.
The vital cell of the society, the family, is seen in the church as the first natural society. In order words, our first point of evangelisation should be in the family. That is why at baptism, the parents are addressed and advised to take good care of the children in nurturing them to the perfection of Christ. Consequently, we see the word of God as the faithful companion for life and the centre of Christian life and evangelisation. The word is to shape us (our human self) through its teaching and direction. Therefore, the prime factor of an ideal family should be love, patience, peace, acceptance and respect in other to carry out this mandate of primary evangelisation.
In conclusion, the mandate to live out the gospel truth and message is a task for all, to preach the good news by and with all means to the ends of the earth, for the salvation and transformation of humanity. The clergy as collaborators of the bishop should adequately prepare the words and sacraments with a spirit-filled homily while ensuring the spread of the gospel. The Lay faithful have a duty to live out the gospel in their daily lives and understand the inherent powers of the gospel to save all forms of destruction of the devil. At the end of time, there will be great Joy in heaven for all the children of God to be saved by the gospel and reunite with their heavenly Father.
MARK 16:15,
A SUMMARY ON THE PASTORAL LETTER OF MOST REV. PETER ODETOYINBO THE CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ABEOKUTA DIOCESE, 2018
The Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta, Most Rev. Dr Peter Olukayode Odetoyinbo has emphasised the need to promote the ideals of the kingdom of God through the preaching of the Gospel. The Bishop captures the essence of the missionary mandate in his recent pastoral letter addressed to the clergy and lay faithful of the diocese in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of his episcopal ordination.
The Pastoral message resonates with the continuous effort to improve and promote the missionary activities which are pivotal to the evangelisation programmes in the diocese of Abeokuta. According to the Chief Shepherd, the good news of the gospel must be spread in every nooks and corner of the diocese dethroning the menace of fake news flying everywhere. Every Catholic, particularly in Abeokuta diocese, is enjoined to stand-up to be counted in faith and morals, restoring hope and confidence through a joyful proclamation of the good news.
Every baptised Christian is commissioned to take active roles in the saving mission of Christ. Christ faithful are called in different ways, forms, and means to be the mouths, eyes, hands, and feet of Jesus in the tasks of evangelisation making them the disciples of all nations. ( Mat 28: 18-20). The Bishop highlighted the fact that there is a growing concern in many Christian communities and many Christians are becoming antithetical to God’s love and mercy, breeding great danger for believers. The persistent and unending woes of sufferings, hunger, and all forms of vices further lent weight to the irreconcilable agonies in many faith communities rid of real joy.
The fall of Adam and Eve is traceable to the loss of inner joy due to the breakdown of the Joyful links to God. After the great fall, man lost the friendship and consequently earned the displacement from the paradise. In the quest to save humanity, the love of God reigns supreme, cancelling the faults and failings through the precious blood of his begotten Son, who became the redeemer of the world. To this purposeful end, the baptised are shown the way of love which is the way of life; the right path marked out for every believer by receiving and proclaiming the Good news of Christ.
The call to become a sincere and committed evangelist is a divine call that demands an immediate and corresponding response to boost the collaborating efforts of evangelisation. In the context of Abeokuta diocese, the Local Ordinary noted that many places need urgent and swift attention in the development of the Catholic faith. Effective catechesis and all forms of support for the promotion of vocation must be put into consideration to multiply the children of the kingdom.
Pope Francis in his encyclical, Deus Caritas est (Dec25, 2015) affirmed that the love for widows and orphans, less privileged is as essential as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching the Gospel. He insisted that we create a proper and conducive environment that allows each person to live in a dignified manner. It implies a sustained effort to a sustainable change in the fight against corruption and all forms of vices.
The vital cell of the society, the family, is seen in the church as the first natural society. In order words, our first point of evangelisation should be in the family. That is why at baptism, the parents are addressed and advised to take good care of the children in nurturing them to the perfection of Christ. Consequently, we see the word of God as the faithful companion for life and the centre of Christian life and evangelisation. The word is to shape us (our human self) through its teaching and direction. Therefore, the prime factor of an ideal family should be love, patience, peace, acceptance and respect in other to carry out this mandate of primary evangelisation.
In conclusion, the mandate to live out the gospel truth and message is a task for all, to preach the good news by and with all means to the ends of the earth, for the salvation and transformation of humanity. The clergy as collaborators of the bishop should adequately prepare the words and sacraments with a spirit-filled homily while ensuring the spread of the gospel. The Lay faithful have a duty to live out the gospel in their daily lives and understand the inherent powers of the gospel to save all forms of destruction of the devil. At the end of time, there will be great Joy in heaven for all the children of God to be saved by the gospel and reunite with their heavenly Father.
Fr Lawrence Ogundipe Sdv
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