Lent in the Christian world is a season to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a period for all Christians to engage in body mortification to strengthen the spirit  as part of measures to fortify the will in the drive to attain salvation. Lent  is an opportunity for the faithful to remind themselves of the value of repentance through self denial and focusing on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To be worthy of the costly sacrifice made by Christ on the cross, Christians are expected at this period of lent to among other things pray, fast and assist the needy. Prayer makes man open to God and the divine presence in his daily life. Fasting on the other hand clears the mind and reveals to man how self-seeking creates barrier between him and Christ while almsgiving makes man more aware and generous to others as brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Christians are also expected to love and pray for both friends and foes, as Christ did, especially while on the cross and mandated Christians to uphold when he instructed that “you should love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Regrettably enmity, hatred and mistrust have eroded love and understanding in many Christian families, Communities and even some churches. In many families and among some Christian groups and churches, prayers sound more like a military war song instead of humble supplication to God. It contradicts Christ’s teachings of love and forgiveness when Christians pray for total damnation of perceived enemies by Holy Ghost fire and sometimes make the death of  such perceived enemies their prayer points.  Similarly, fasting should be aimed to achieve spiritual growth to get closer to Christ.

Abstinence enables Christians to curtail excesses and drop bad habits that would help them maintain healthy and sound moral lifestyle after the Lenten period.

Christians who encourage youths to go half naked in the name of fashion or encourage them to go into cultism, examination malpractice, prostitution, armed robbery, diversion of public funds or stealing in any form or guise, violence and other anti-social activities are making a mockery of Christ’s supreme sacrifice to mankind.

There should be regular spiritual  exercise aimed at understanding the work of mercy as practiced by Christ which will include helping the poor, expressing solidarity with those oppressed, caring for the sick, being the voice of the voiceless, struggling for justice for those deprived, giving widows a helping hand and showing love to little children.

Without the grace of love for the poor and the needy, we will isolate ourselves from one of the major demands of lent and precepts of Christian religion.

Christians should champion crusade for national consciousness that would encourage Nigerians forge a united front to overcome national challenges.

The war against economic hardship, poverty, hunger, greed, corruption, crime and injustice cannot be won if we continue to fight exclusively on the shifting sands of mere human conventions.

Jesus was made man to ensure the salvation of man, man should make himself worthy of that selfless sacrifice.

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