Today, Christians in Nigeria and across the world are celebrating Easter. All over, Masses and Services will be held in churches to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, having been crucified on Good Friday.
The Easter brings to an end the 40-day Lenten season, which commenced about six weeks ago, with the Ash Wednesday. The season was characterized with fasting, prayers, almsgiving and abstinence. At the commencement of the exercise, the faithful were enjoined to be committed to the spiritual exercise and to avoid outward show of piety. They were also urged to ensure that the impact of the exercise is felt in their neighbourhoods through repentance from sin and their good deeds.
And in his preaching leading to Easter, Rev Fr, Moses Jimbili, of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, harped on sacrifice, which is at the base of the entire exercise. He said though people cannot give up their lives as sacrifice for others, as Jesus Christ did, they should make sacrifices by the way they live their lives throughout the Lenten season and afterwards.
In his message, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, called on Nigerians to hold on to the hope which Easter renews in the faithful. He said, “amidst our feeling of despair and disillusionment, Easter has a message of hope, namely: that at the end of every dark tunnel there is some light; that the darkest part of the night is the beginning of dawn. This message of hope underscores that even though the forces of evil might seem at times to have the upper hand over the good, on the long run goodness always triumphs over evil. Accordingly, far from yielding to pessimism and despair, believers face the future with hope and optimism; and persevere to the end in hard and difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, it is of vital importance to bear in mind that the bright future we hope for will only come about with the cooperation of one and all”.
Also speaking on the 2024 Easter, Most Rev. Ignatius A. Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, harped on finding hope in the midst of adversity.
He said, “let us embrace the season of Easter as an opportunity for personal and spiritual renewal. Just as the resurrection symbolizes new life and transformation, let us embrace the season as a time for introspection, repentance and growth. Through prayer, meditation and courageous self-examination, may we rid ourselves of negativity and embrace a renewed sense of purpose and faith.
“This year, Easter coincides with a unique alignment of faiths as Christian Lent intersects with Muslim Ramadan. This happy coincidence offers a profound opportunity for interfaith dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding. In a country as diverse as Nigeria, characterized by a rich tapestry of cultures and religions, let us seize this moment to foster greater harmony and cooperation among all communities. Together, we can transcend boundaries and so celebrate our shared humanity”.
He added; “this is the time to multiply the acts of kindness, generosity and respect for each other, so that we can cultivate a culture of inclusiveness and unity that transcends religious divides. Without this, we cannot even begin to confront the many problems that continue to draw us back in our journey as one nation”.
We congratulate Christians in Nigeria and all over the world on this auspicious celebration and pray that they reap the fruits of the spiritual exercise which they just completed. Though, the Lenten season and even the Easter celebration occurred at a trying time in Nigeria, where citizens are battling high cost of living, it is hoped that the circumstances did not douse the importance of the period in their lives.
Now, that the Lenten season is over, it shouldn’t translate to an end to the practices of prayers, fasting, almsgiving and abstinence from things that are bad. In fact, all those practices should continue. The idea of spiritual exercises such as this is to cause change, so that when people take breaks from certain attitudes, they might abandon them forever. Indeed returning to acts that were hitherto done before the Lent just because the season is over defeats the entire purpose of the exercise. There should be a clear difference in how the faithful live their lives going forward, so that the impact will be felt in sectors across the country.
The hardship is still very much here with us, just as it was at the commencement of the Lenten season, therefore, the well-to-do should continue to assist those in need, without any form of discrimination either based on faith or ethnicity. The teaching of Lent is that all humans are one and that should guide all actions. There should be peaceful co-existence between the faithful and people of other religions. That the people of both faiths broke their fast together and that Lent and the Ramadan fell simultaneously should only help to engender peace and co-existence among adherents of both religions in the country. Furthermore, prayers should continue to be said for the country to get out of the crisis of criminality which has taken several forms across the country.
Easter is all about hope and sacrifice and these messages must not be lost on citizens. They must not lose hope in spite the hardship bedeviling the country. Also, we call on leaders to take the message of sacrifice very serious. It is not enough to tell citizens to be patient or to make sacrifices, they must also do same. They should avoid self-enrichment to the detriment of the masses and make the hope of citizens to come through by working to make life better.
It must be said that the nation will only grow if all citizens imbibe the spirit of sacrifice.
Happy Easter.
