We need to rejoice with and honor people, who are “heroes” because of their positive impact on people’s lives, the homilist at the triple celebration of Mons. Alex Bobby Benson at Christ the King Parish of Ghana’s Accra Archdiocese has said.
In his homily during the Wednesday, January 3 celebration of Mons. Benson’s 72nd birthday, Priestly ministry, and the Conferral of Honorary Doctoral Award for his commitment and dedication to public service, Fr. George Arthur also cautioned against procrastination in showing “care and love” for others.
“Celebrate people who matter to you whilst they live and not when they die. The dead cannot see,” Fr. Arthur has been quoted as saying.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), who is the Chaplain-General of the Ghana Police Service emphasized, “Let us celebrate and honour the living and remember the dead. Let us celebrate the heroes of our age like Mons. Benson, before they fade away through death.”
“It is unfair to remain silent and indifferent to the very people who have made tremendous impact and remarkable differences in our political, social, economic, traditional and religious history,” Fr. Arthur continued.
He went on to caution against procrastination, saying, “If you can positively influence society today, do so and don’t postpone it. You shall pass through this world but once. Don’t defer the good you can do today.”
“At the end of our lives, we will be judged not by the Certificates or Degrees we have; not according to our positions and possessions in society but by our care and love for our fellow human beings especially the needy and the poor,” the Parish Priest of St. George Catholic Church in National Police Training School, Tesano, Accra said, referencing Matthew 25.
He added, “We will be judged by the way we use our power, wealth, resources and talents. This is very simple: to give food to the hungry, clothe the naked, care for those who are sick, to give water to the thirsty, to visit prisoners, defend and support the course of Justice and Peace.”
“You cannot change the world, but you can make an impact. You might not be able to solve the hunger of the world, but by giving food to one hungry person will make a difference,” Fr. Arthur said during the January 3 Holy Mass that Bishop Joseph Kwaku Afrifah-Agyekum of Ghana’s Koforidua Diocese presided over, with Bishop Peter Paul Yelezuome Ankgyier of Damongo Diocese and Bishop Anthony Narh Asare, an Auxiliary Bishop of Accra, among the concelebrants.
“The basis of every good service is to remain yourself and always remember you are serving fellow human beings who have strengths and weaknesses,” he said, and added, “In Mons. Benson, we come to accept the fact that ‘true authority is not about having total control by ‘lording’ it over others but about using the gifts you have been given to serve others.’”
A member of the Clergy of Koforidua Diocese, where he started his Priestly ministry on 6 July 1980, Mons. Benson is the founder of Matthew 25 House, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Ghana, which, according to News Watch GH, helps “those infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS as well as giving aid to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC).”
The full time Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Supervisor and the Director of Matthew 25 House of Koforidua Diocese has served in other capacities, including Parish ministry, Chaplaincy, and pastoral care to returnees, among others.
Mons. Benson who studied CPE in Ireland and a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies in the U.S. was the winner of the MTN Heroes of Change 2017 Programme in the Health category that recognized his efforts to feed some 1,000 needy people every month..
He was also one of the recipients of the Exclusive Men of the Year (EMY) Africa Humanitarian Award in 2021.
“Our health is our wealth. I appeal to every Ghanaian to take good care of his or her health to reduce cost on medication and treatments,” Mons. Benson has been quoted as saying in an interview.