Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, has called on Nigerian leaders to use the 2025 Lenten season to seek true repentance and shun corrupt practices.
Onaga made the call in Enugu in his Lenten message to Nigerians.
The Lent is the 40-day period of fasting and prayers by Christians all over the world leading to Easter celebration.
This year’s Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent, is on March 5 and the Lent ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday, which holds on April 20.
“The 40 days of Lent involve fasting, prayer, and almsgiving as a way to connect deeper with God.
The bishop said the nation and individuals needed repentance by going into introspection to know where they sinned against God.
He tasked them on prayer, fasting and almsgiving, saying that Christians were expected to fast for 40 days to prepare themselves for the paschal mystery of Christ.
The bishop encouraged them to abstain from those things that give them pleasure such as cutting down the intake of drinks and food as a way of sacrifice.
Onaga explained that lent begins with Ash Wednesday where palm fronds collected the previous years were burnt, as a sign that we were in the mode of mourning and repentance.
“It reminds us of our source, that we are dust and unto dust we shall return and that we are sorry for our shortcomings as well as asking God for pardon.
“Our nation, politicians and individuals need to repent and turn away from cheating and corrupt practices.
“We should make effort to reconcile, mend our fences and forgive one another,” he said.
