International Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 2021
Africa is blessed with an overwhelming population of young people, who in the words of the Africa... more Africa is blessed with an overwhelming population of young people, who in the words of the African Synod Fathers, constitute its “numerical strength” but unfortunately, these have been kept in the cold, marginalized, exploited for selfish aims, manipulated and misled by political demagogues (Mbuy, 2001). Against this kind of backdrop the Gospel of Mark 10: 13-16 offer us a concrete, practical and pastoral way of welcoming the young people as Jesus did and giving them a sense of belonging. When I look back at some experiences I am touched by the attitude of Jesus when he said, ‘let the children come to me’… and then I ask, how can the Church be available and say the same, ‘let the young people come to me’? Many young people want to encounter the Lord through different forms of apostolate but maybe there are no serious youth apostolates or they are lazy to things of God or they had dreadful experiences of not being allowed to get near Jesus. Why? Perhaps, it is the attitudes of Jesus’...
International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 2021
Almost every major world religion and tribal spiritualities light plant parts in worship to seek ... more Almost every major world religion and tribal spiritualities light plant parts in worship to seek greater connection to the divine. Incense is defined as a material that is burned to produce an odour which is also referred to as the perfume itself that is produced from the burning of plant. Many people light incense sticks in their homes just for the sweet smell and the ability it has to transform space. Others too in our world today may have a stigma connecting incense sticks and illegal drug use. Many of us who have been Catholics may have witnessed the swinging of censers, filling the Church with sweet-smelling resins. The tradition of using incense in the liturgy goes back to ancient Hebrew worship, as recorded in the Psalms: “Let my prayer be set forth in Thy sight as the incense” (Ps 141:2). Incense as often used as part of a purification ritual seems to have lost its symbolisms and proper use of it in the Church as well as the decline of its use. The real problem here is that ...
The lifestyle today has changed and many young people are affected by it. The young people seem t... more The lifestyle today has changed and many young people are affected by it. The young people seem to be marked as alienated being in our Churches and many of them are living in a fragmented lifestyle caused by relativism, secularism and globalization and as a result the Sacrament of Reconciliation with God, with others, with self and with nature is also affected. The Sacrament of Reconciliation has suffered more than any other Sacrament in the Catholic Church because of many factors. And this is affirmed by Pope John Paul II noted in his Post-Synodal exhortation on Reconciliation and Penance when he said that, “the Sacrament of Reconciliation is in crisis.” The reasons of these crises as pointed above also include the way the Sacrament of Reconciliation was taught, celebrated, lived and understood as well as other challenging factors. History has shown us so much about the steps the Church has taken at different epochs regarding reconciliation. This Thesis is about “Encountering God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: A Liturgical Catechesis for the Young People in Ikot Ekpene Diocese – Nigeria.” The rationale behind undertaking this study is the very fact that young people long to encounter and experience God yet they decline in the Sacrament of Confession which is a Sacrament of love. It is a pastoral care and response to the young people in our parishes to help them appreciate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Church through the proper celebration of the Penance can reach out to the young people yearning and longing to encounter and experience the compassionate and merciful God. Therefore, the Church (Ikot Ekpene Diocese) should open re-contextualization of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Looking at traditional understanding of reconciliation and its effects in Ikot Ekpene context and the history of the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Church should be able to contextualize the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are many challenges and obstacles to the Sacrament of Reconciliation especially among the young people therefore, the aim of this thesis is an attempt at finding a way to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation better understood, more meaningful and relevant to young people in Ikot Ekpene Diocese as well as the whole Catholic world through a liturgical catechesis of the words used in celebrating the Sacrament, the role of the minister and the penitent, the Sacramental environment, signs and symbols and other elements relevant to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of conversion. Therefore adaptation and inculturation (re-contextualization) of the Sacrament of Reconciliation through liturgical catechesis should be able to bridge the lex credendi, the lex orandi, and lex vivendi. No re-contextualization (inculturation) is possible without an adequate understanding of what we celebrate. Therefore, today’s pressing need is a pastoral praxis that corresponds to the theology of the Sacrament – a rite that links lex credendi, lex orandi, and lex vivendi.
International Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 2021
Africa is blessed with an overwhelming population of young people, who in the words of the Africa... more Africa is blessed with an overwhelming population of young people, who in the words of the African Synod Fathers, constitute its “numerical strength” but unfortunately, these have been kept in the cold, marginalized, exploited for selfish aims, manipulated and misled by political demagogues (Mbuy, 2001). Against this kind of backdrop the Gospel of Mark 10: 13-16 offer us a concrete, practical and pastoral way of welcoming the young people as Jesus did and giving them a sense of belonging. When I look back at some experiences I am touched by the attitude of Jesus when he said, ‘let the children come to me’… and then I ask, how can the Church be available and say the same, ‘let the young people come to me’? Many young people want to encounter the Lord through different forms of apostolate but maybe there are no serious youth apostolates or they are lazy to things of God or they had dreadful experiences of not being allowed to get near Jesus. Why? Perhaps, it is the attitudes of Jesus’...
International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 2021
Almost every major world religion and tribal spiritualities light plant parts in worship to seek ... more Almost every major world religion and tribal spiritualities light plant parts in worship to seek greater connection to the divine. Incense is defined as a material that is burned to produce an odour which is also referred to as the perfume itself that is produced from the burning of plant. Many people light incense sticks in their homes just for the sweet smell and the ability it has to transform space. Others too in our world today may have a stigma connecting incense sticks and illegal drug use. Many of us who have been Catholics may have witnessed the swinging of censers, filling the Church with sweet-smelling resins. The tradition of using incense in the liturgy goes back to ancient Hebrew worship, as recorded in the Psalms: “Let my prayer be set forth in Thy sight as the incense” (Ps 141:2). Incense as often used as part of a purification ritual seems to have lost its symbolisms and proper use of it in the Church as well as the decline of its use. The real problem here is that ...
The lifestyle today has changed and many young people are affected by it. The young people seem t... more The lifestyle today has changed and many young people are affected by it. The young people seem to be marked as alienated being in our Churches and many of them are living in a fragmented lifestyle caused by relativism, secularism and globalization and as a result the Sacrament of Reconciliation with God, with others, with self and with nature is also affected. The Sacrament of Reconciliation has suffered more than any other Sacrament in the Catholic Church because of many factors. And this is affirmed by Pope John Paul II noted in his Post-Synodal exhortation on Reconciliation and Penance when he said that, “the Sacrament of Reconciliation is in crisis.” The reasons of these crises as pointed above also include the way the Sacrament of Reconciliation was taught, celebrated, lived and understood as well as other challenging factors. History has shown us so much about the steps the Church has taken at different epochs regarding reconciliation. This Thesis is about “Encountering God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: A Liturgical Catechesis for the Young People in Ikot Ekpene Diocese – Nigeria.” The rationale behind undertaking this study is the very fact that young people long to encounter and experience God yet they decline in the Sacrament of Confession which is a Sacrament of love. It is a pastoral care and response to the young people in our parishes to help them appreciate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Church through the proper celebration of the Penance can reach out to the young people yearning and longing to encounter and experience the compassionate and merciful God. Therefore, the Church (Ikot Ekpene Diocese) should open re-contextualization of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Looking at traditional understanding of reconciliation and its effects in Ikot Ekpene context and the history of the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Church should be able to contextualize the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are many challenges and obstacles to the Sacrament of Reconciliation especially among the young people therefore, the aim of this thesis is an attempt at finding a way to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation better understood, more meaningful and relevant to young people in Ikot Ekpene Diocese as well as the whole Catholic world through a liturgical catechesis of the words used in celebrating the Sacrament, the role of the minister and the penitent, the Sacramental environment, signs and symbols and other elements relevant to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of conversion. Therefore adaptation and inculturation (re-contextualization) of the Sacrament of Reconciliation through liturgical catechesis should be able to bridge the lex credendi, the lex orandi, and lex vivendi. No re-contextualization (inculturation) is possible without an adequate understanding of what we celebrate. Therefore, today’s pressing need is a pastoral praxis that corresponds to the theology of the Sacrament – a rite that links lex credendi, lex orandi, and lex vivendi.
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The Sacrament of Reconciliation has suffered more than any other Sacrament in the Catholic Church because of many factors. And this is affirmed by Pope John Paul II noted in his Post-Synodal exhortation on Reconciliation and Penance when he said that, “the Sacrament of Reconciliation is in crisis.” The reasons of these crises as pointed above also include the way the Sacrament of Reconciliation was taught, celebrated, lived and understood as well as other challenging factors. History has shown us so much about the steps the Church has taken at different epochs regarding reconciliation.
This Thesis is about “Encountering God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: A Liturgical Catechesis for the Young People in Ikot Ekpene Diocese – Nigeria.” The rationale behind undertaking this study is the very fact that young people long to encounter and experience God yet they decline in the Sacrament of Confession which is a Sacrament of love. It is a pastoral care and response to the young people in our parishes to help them appreciate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Church through the proper celebration of the Penance can reach out to the young people yearning and longing to encounter and experience the compassionate and merciful God. Therefore, the Church (Ikot Ekpene Diocese) should open re-contextualization of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Looking at traditional understanding of reconciliation and its effects in Ikot Ekpene context and the history of the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Church should be able to contextualize the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are many challenges and obstacles to the Sacrament of Reconciliation especially among the young people therefore, the aim of this thesis is an attempt at finding a way to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation better understood, more meaningful and relevant to young people in Ikot Ekpene Diocese as well as the whole Catholic world through a liturgical catechesis of the words used in celebrating the Sacrament, the role of the minister and the penitent, the Sacramental environment, signs and symbols and other elements relevant to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation..
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of conversion. Therefore adaptation and inculturation (re-contextualization) of the Sacrament of Reconciliation through liturgical catechesis should be able to bridge the lex credendi, the lex orandi, and lex vivendi. No re-contextualization (inculturation) is possible without an adequate understanding of what we celebrate. Therefore, today’s pressing need is a pastoral praxis that corresponds to the theology of the Sacrament – a rite that links lex credendi, lex orandi, and lex vivendi.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation has suffered more than any other Sacrament in the Catholic Church because of many factors. And this is affirmed by Pope John Paul II noted in his Post-Synodal exhortation on Reconciliation and Penance when he said that, “the Sacrament of Reconciliation is in crisis.” The reasons of these crises as pointed above also include the way the Sacrament of Reconciliation was taught, celebrated, lived and understood as well as other challenging factors. History has shown us so much about the steps the Church has taken at different epochs regarding reconciliation.
This Thesis is about “Encountering God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation: A Liturgical Catechesis for the Young People in Ikot Ekpene Diocese – Nigeria.” The rationale behind undertaking this study is the very fact that young people long to encounter and experience God yet they decline in the Sacrament of Confession which is a Sacrament of love. It is a pastoral care and response to the young people in our parishes to help them appreciate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Church through the proper celebration of the Penance can reach out to the young people yearning and longing to encounter and experience the compassionate and merciful God. Therefore, the Church (Ikot Ekpene Diocese) should open re-contextualization of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Looking at traditional understanding of reconciliation and its effects in Ikot Ekpene context and the history of the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Church should be able to contextualize the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are many challenges and obstacles to the Sacrament of Reconciliation especially among the young people therefore, the aim of this thesis is an attempt at finding a way to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation better understood, more meaningful and relevant to young people in Ikot Ekpene Diocese as well as the whole Catholic world through a liturgical catechesis of the words used in celebrating the Sacrament, the role of the minister and the penitent, the Sacramental environment, signs and symbols and other elements relevant to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation..
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of conversion. Therefore adaptation and inculturation (re-contextualization) of the Sacrament of Reconciliation through liturgical catechesis should be able to bridge the lex credendi, the lex orandi, and lex vivendi. No re-contextualization (inculturation) is possible without an adequate understanding of what we celebrate. Therefore, today’s pressing need is a pastoral praxis that corresponds to the theology of the Sacrament – a rite that links lex credendi, lex orandi, and lex vivendi.