12th February, 2018
Msgr. Gabriel Osu, Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, has urged Christians to use the Lenten period to draw nearer to God through constant prayers, and forsake their sins.
Osu, in a statement on Monday, said that Christians all over the world would on Wednesday Feb. 14, mark the Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of the Season of Lent.
He also advised Christians to always be at peace with their neighbours.
Osu described the Ash Wednesday as one of the most important holy days in the Catholic Church’s calendar year.
“Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent; a season of fasting and prayers, and it includes wearing of ashes on the fore head as a sign of repentance and a reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return.
“Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday and is chiefly observed by Catholics.
“The Lenten season is a period of fasting and Christians are encouraged to intensify prayers, abstain from their sins and give alms.
“It is a season of renewal of our faith in our creator by renouncing all fleshy desires that tend to weigh us down, and purifying our spirit for the greater glory of God.
“It should not just end at this lent season. Our prayer is that the fruit of the season will continue to germinate and bear more fruits in our daily lives,’’ he said.
Osu said that in the Archdiocese of Lagos, the faithful would be led into the Lenten season by the Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, at the Holy Cross Cathedral.