KENYA: Five Guidelines to Successful Life Discernment for Young People ahead of October Bishop’s Synod by Bishop Oballa
Rt. Rev. John Oballa Owaa, Bishop of Ngong Diocese-Kenya, Unvailing the Banner for the Year of the youth in his Diocese
Rt. Rev. John Oballa Owaa, Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Ngong, Kenya has proposed five guidelines to help the young people cultivate the culture of listening to the voice of God concerning the purpose he (God) has for their lives.
Bishop Oballa made the proposal at St. Joseph the Worker Pro-Cathedral Ngong on Sunday, February 4, 2018 when he launched the Year of the Youth 2018 for the diocese following the dedication of the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops by Pope Francis. The Synod is scheduled to take place in Rome in October, 2018.
This is what Bishop Oballa proposed:
Number one: Care to know the reasonableness of your faith, get to know your faith; ask questions that you have always wanted answered yet have never been answered so that they can know what your Catholic faith is about. That way you will refuse to be referred to as a generation born to buy; you will refuse to be referred to as materialistic generation because materialism, merely things of this world do not make a good plan of life. Have catechesis on your faith.
Secondly allow yourself to be guided by the Commandments of God. You are for your good; a human person needs morality based on faith to recognize that God is God and to appreciate God’s creation and to realize that we are here for a season, our souls are immortal we have to strive for eternal life. Have moral norms to guide you.
Third: If you want to cultivate this listening to God, learn something about self-denial not only during lent. First you will not die, it is good for your spiritual life. We become more attentive when we are just a little hungry; deny yourselves, abstain and I am proposing another very concrete way of abstinence; chose to keep away your phone, one day in a week. Phone have become a new drug; it is an addiction. Put it away, just say this one day I am not going to make any calls or receive any call. It is possible. Start with an hour, go to two, go to six hours, then go to 12 and you will find that it is a very easy exercise that enables you to listen to yourself and to listen to God.
Forth: I propose that this year as I will also appeal to our priests that we have truly good liturgy and whenever you, young people participate in the liturgy, make it truly be an encounter with God. Make it dignified. Whether you are singing or liturgically dancing or doing the proclamation of the word, ensure that liturgy becomes the hallmark of your encounter with God. Participate in the Liturgy with attention; with your body, mind and soul. Always have an intention to present to the Lord. You will never leave liturgy without having that sense of a sacred encounter with God.
Lastly I invite you to truly let the day of the Lord be the day of the Lord. Let it be Est Domini. Not only to come to Church but also to be for you a day of rest, we always forget that aspect. Rest your mind and body; you will be sharpening your sense of listening. The Holy Bible tells us that God rested. Look forward for a day of coming together with fellow believers to worship God together. let it be an opportunity for you to receive God’s healing. There are many hardships and sufferings and difficulties in the lives of each and every one of us. When we feel that nobody could possibly understands what we are going through, Jesus joins us in our sufferings and turns a moment of desperation into a moment of conversion and healing. Listen to God’s word, receive His Body and Blood, worship together with others.
Bishop Oballa told young people of Ngong Diocese and indeed the whole world that, their search for meaning and life purpose according to God’s plan can only be realized when they ask God to enable them to live a life of virtue.
∽End∽
