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Most Reverend Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD, Catholic Bishop of Ho Diocese, has admonished Catholics and Christians to take responsibility for their actions, make amends and always do what is good.

He noted that most people were quick to find excuses and assigned such to mistakes they committed to shun away from taking responsibility for the mistake they committed.

Bishop Fianu in a homily during the 2022 end-of-year Diocesan pilgrimage at the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Kpando-Agbenoxoe, noted that the biblical dialogue between Adam and God in relation to humankind disobeying God after eating the forbidden fruit taught that “we cannot hide or run away from God.”

He said there was nothing that humanity could do and hide from the face of God because God was all-knowing adding that there was no need for Christians to hide if they knew what they were doing was worthy.

“If what we are doing in life is good and it is worthy of our calling as Christians, we do not need to hide away from God. Adam and Eve knew from the moment they ate the fruit of this particular tree that what they did was not worthy of goodness.”

Bishop Fianu said Christians could know if what they wanted to do was good or bad by asking themselves if they were doing them in the presence of God or hidden from him adding that “if what we have done draws us from the presence of God, then it is evil and sin.”

He said it was interesting that although Adam and Eve confessed to disobeying God, they both shifted blames to what led each of them committing the sin.

Bishop Fianu said if humans examined themselves, they would see how often they also behaved like Adam and Eve adding that “we want to blame others for what we do wrong, for our own mistakes, shortcomings and sins.”

Bishop Fianu said once humankind was not ready to accept blame for their shortcomings, they continued to live outside the particularly good garden of innocence God prepared and continued to hide from him failing to know that they could not hide from God.

The day also marked the feast of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Bishop Fianu noted that although women of all ages conceived, the conception of Mary by her mother Anne was because the conception was qualified as “Immaculate.”

He said the Church invited the faithful to look at Mary from the background of someone conceived undefiled or without moral blemish.

Bishop Fianu said although Mary just like humanity had the free will to say yes or no to God, it was worthy for them to emulate the attitude of docility and Mary’s readiness to do God’s will.

“We may not understand God’s ways but like Mary, in the end, we are also called to embrace the will of God because he who is all-knowing, knows better than all of us, he always seeks what is good for us.

He can never seek evil for his children, always seek our salvation, or to use us for the world’s salvation. May we embrace this mission of God like Mary.”

The event also saw the commissioning of 63 extraordinary ministers who would help priests in the distribution of holy communion across the Ho Diocese.

Bishop Fianu admonished them to be observant of the Lord’s command to love one another while the ministers resolved to take up the responsibilities assigned them.