A travel through lent

The prayers include the Stations of the Cross that commemorates fourteen different episodes leading to the death of Christ reflected in various forms of illustrations usually hung up on church walls. In most Nigerian Catholic Churches this takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Stations include: 1.     Christ is condemned to death. 2.     […]

The prayers include the Stations of the Cross that commemorates fourteen different episodes leading to the death of Christ reflected in various forms of illustrations usually hung up on church walls. In most Nigerian Catholic Churches this takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Stations include:

1.     Christ is condemned to death.

2.     The cross is laid upon him.

3.     He has His first fall.

4.     He meets His Blessed Mother.

5.     Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross.

6. Christ’s face is wiped by Veronica.

7.     He falls a second time.

8.     He meets the women of Jerusalem.

9.     He falls a third time.

10. He is stripped of His garments.

11. He is crucified.

12. He dies on the cross.

13. His body is taken down from the cross.

14. He is laid in the tomb.

At the 6am Mass celebration of Ash Wednesday, at the Holy Cross Catholic Church, Gwarimpa, Fr. Dominic Isimenin, during his homily asked three questions: is the coming of this lent another forty days that the priest harasses you about abstinence and doing good works? Is this another Lent which will be observed and in the end things go back to business as usual? Will this be your last Lent?

He explained quoting Mahatma Gandi who said, “Fast is supposed to purify the body, soul and spirit.” In observing Lent Fr. Isimenin said, “All that you abstain from should be beneficial to the poor and less priviledged. I know that for some it is a period for slimming fitting and getting into shape. Whatever your intentions for Lent are, you cannot say you are fasting when you break the fast in the evening, you eat your dinner inclusive of your breakfast and lunch. The money you would have spent on the two earlier meals should be channeled towards the poor. It is not enough to pray and fast and disregard the other obligations of Lent.” It has to be an all encompassing sacrifice, the assistant parish priest emphasised.

Mr. Ben Okelue, who was present for Mass said, in observation of the season he was denying himself his regular Sunday golf pleasure until after the season. “It is not a problem for me to fast and do without food. One thing I am never able to part with is my regular, Sunday golf session. My belief is that when giving to God one should not do it out of convenience, but with feeling the pinch and discomfort in the giving. For me golf is it. I am ‘dreading’ Sunday morning after 6am Mass,” he laughed.

For Mrs. Comfort George, it’s no shopping for any new clothing item for the duration, with a hope to reducing her yearning to shop at the end of it all. “I am an impulsive shopper, especially for clothes and fabrics. This Lent, I am not going to shop at all for any new item; and what I originally budget for my monthly shopping, I am giving to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which takes care of the needs of the poor in the Catholic Church. I am hoping that at the end of it all, it will help me discipline myself to buy things only when they are absolutely necessary.”