Never Take God's Love for Granted

Christians have been advised to renew their faith in God during this Lenten season, by appreciating God’s tender love and mercy shown towards humanity. Rev. Fr. Solomon Yayra Xeflide of the St. James Catholic Church, Osu RE, in the Archdiocese of Accra, who led the 2023 Lenten Retreat for members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, University of Ghana, Legon, reiterated the need to draw closer to the love of God. Speaking on the theme: ‘His Boundless Love Reaches Out To All Men’ at the SVD Home for Aged Religious at McCarthy Hill, Fr. Xeflide extolled God’s attribute of love to humanity, but warned against the tendency to take this love for granted. The Retreat Master who noted that the stories in the Bible reflects God’s love for humanity, stressed that Christ’s sacrificing his life in order to redeem humanity, was the greatest example of love every Christian should treasure. Fr. Xeflide stated that the love of God was always present, and charge Christians to endeavour speaking God’s language of love, by identifying the divine love through constant prayers and seeking deeper personal intimacy with Him. As part of the retreat, members of the society participated in the Stations of the Cross; Sacrament Reconciliation, and Adoration of the Holy Eucharist, which was climaxed with a Holy Mass. The Society also made a donation of assorted items to the retired Religious. Prof. Onike Rodrigues, President of the Society, who thanked the Priest, Choristers and members for participating at the Retreat, expressed the hope that the exercise would go a long way to strengthen the spirituality of members. In attendance was the St. James Youth Choir, which sang the Mass and accompanied the group in the retreat programme with melodious hymns. With a focus of providing personal service to the poor and less privileged in our society, the Society of St Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 by Blessed Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam, is an international voluntary charity organisation in the Catholic Church. Over the years, the society strives to meet the needs of the needy and vulnerable in our society.