He said, “Christians can accomplish the weighty duty of bearing witness to Christ not by their own human strength and effort but with the help and power of the Holy Spirit, the source, the power, the impulse, the Teacher, and the one who completes us in faith.”
Archbishop Ruwa’ichi recalled the transformative power of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles of Jesus on Pentecost Day, when they overcame their “fear and boldly went out to preach the mighty deeds of God” and challenged the People of God in Tanzania to emulate the post-Pentecost Apostles of Jesus, and witness to Jesus Christ with boldness.
“Once they received this gift of the Holy Spirit, who is the promised Comforter from Christ, they overcame their fear and went out boldly to preach the mighty deeds of God,” he said in his September 12 homily at the official opening of Tanzania’s September 12-16 National Eucharistic Congress realized under the theme, “Brotherhood in the World: And you are all brothers”.
The Catholic Church leader added, “As we gather here to celebrate our faith, let us receive the Holy Spirit into our lives and hearts, into our families, workplaces, and wherever we encounter each other as Christians so that our presence may witness to God, serve Him, praise Him, and proclaim His mighty deeds.”
“God has placed within us His Spirit, the Spirit of recognizing what is good, true, just, pure, holy, merciful, and loving – these are all mighty deeds of God, and many more,” the Local Ordinary of Dar-es-Salaam since his installation in August 2019 said.
He cautioned against judging and condemning those who manifest inadequate courage and live with fear, saying, “Let us not laugh at them, for we also have moments in our lives when we lack strength; moments when we become slack, when our faith weakens, and when we fail to witness Christ as required.”
In such moments, Archbishop Ruwa’ichi said, Christians should invoke the Holy Spirit, who is “the strength, the Comforter, the Teacher; the one who gives us the courage to stand firm in our faith, to follow Christ, to build His Church, and establish the Kingdom of God.”
The Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry as Bishop of Tanzania’s Diocese of Mbulu in May 1999 called upon participants in the five-day National Eucharistic Congress to pray for the Church, families, the nation, as well as the Holy Father in his worldwide ministry.
“I invite each one of you to pray to God in a special way, that He may strengthen and bless His Church here in Tanzania and worldwide, making it a true sacrament of salvation,” he said at the start of the five-day National Eucharistic Congress bringing together members of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Clergy, women and men Religious, and Laity in the East African nation.
The Catholic Archbishop also appealed for prayers for families that they “may stand firm as schools of faith, life, and witness; that our nation, despite its challenges, may overcome what is displeasing to God and emerge to serve Him with justice, truth, diligence, and for His glory.”
