Christians all over the world will on Wednesday mark the 2017 Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the 40-day Lenten Season.
The Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Msgr. Gabriel Osu, in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, said that the Lenten Season is a period of 40 days during which Christians are encouraged to intensify prayers, abstinence, fasting and almsgiving.
He said, “In Catholic Churches all over the world, the faithful are expected to receive ash on their foreheads as a sign of repentance and a reminder that we all come from ash and will someday return to ash.
“Here in the Archdiocese of Lagos, the faithful will be led into the Lenten Season by the Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins at the Holy Cross Cathedral.”
According to Osu, at this period of lent, we are all expected to draw nearer to God by constant prayer, forsaking sins and being at peace with our fellow men.
He said, “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.
“But 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.”
Lent is the Christian season of preparation before Easter. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.
The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ, his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection.
