by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been advised to seize the opportunity of the two seasons – “Ramadan fast” and “Lent” – to amend relationships with God and with one another and, more importantly, to channel the peaceful coexistence that God has put in place for all people of the nation, especially during these two seasons of fasting – Lent and Ramadan fast.
The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos His Grace Rev. Dr. Matthew Ishaya Audu, gave the advise in his Lenten Message on “Ash Wednesday,” which begun the Lenten period for Christians, especially Catholics, who mostly observe the period.
According to the Archbishop, “God knows why the two groups are together fasting. With God, nothing is by coincidence; God allowed it to happen, because for me, it is about the utterances we are condemning one another with. God is trying to tell us, “Look, you are doing the same thing. I am God.”
He explained further that, “If God had wanted, He could have created a separate world for Muslims and another for Christians, but He didn’t do that.
“There is no country, even Saudi Arabia – where Islam is the foundation – that does not have people of other faiths. The same applies to us here. Let us take this holy season for more personal reflection on how we can deepen our relationship in harmony with people of other faiths. I think this is an important moment for us because God is sending us a message. That is why He allowed these holy periods to coincide,” he stated.
While praying and hoping that as each group makes their reflections, the Archbishop was optimistic that, “By the time we end the Lenten season and the fasting period, we will become better people, relate better, and pursue the common good that affects us all.”
He also thanked God that both Christians and Muslims know the value of fasting in promoting more closeness to God, saying, “It is a holy season for both of us,” and advised both Christians and Muslims that they should not let their religions not just be a verbal religion, “but our religion should be one that we live out. In the end, whether for Muslims or Christians, judgment will be based on what we did, not just what we said.
“You can say anything about God, but how did you live that religion? I think this is where both of us are called to make sure we live up to the standards of our faith. You cannot say you are sorry and then continue to do wrong,” he urged.
“This is a period of grace that God is granting us. God is ready to take us back, but He expects us to come back as changed people, not just to say, ‘we are sorry’ and go back to doing the same thing.
Archbishop Ishaya further called on both Christians and Muslims to ensure that their religion is not just a verbal religion but one reflected in action, saying, “What God has put in place for us is to live together in harmony, peace, love, and to support one another.”
Our correspondent reports that, Lent is a special season, which begins with Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days of Jesus’ fasting, excluding Sundays. The period of 40 days is very significant to Christians as it reflects the 40 days of Moses on Mount Sinai.
The season of Lent is also called “season of grace” because it offers an opportunity to purify the heart, renew the spirit open to receive the grace of God during this season of Lent.
This season is for repentance, and advises us to make the best use of the grace and not to receive it in vain and regain the grace of God in the journey of life and the ashes on our foreheads also remind us that “we are dust and unto shall we return in our own time.”
He said, “There is no need for you to allow yourself to be marked with ashes because this is penance; ashes are sign of repentance, they indicate praise, which consumes the ashes of lamentation and resignation because it will be an empty ritual and accompanied with no grace of God.
“On Ash Wednesday, we allow ourselves to be marked with ashes on our foreheads. The ashes are a sign of our mortality, and that we are sorry for our sins. They indicate to us that we are here today and gone tomorrow. Let us return to the Spirit, the Giver of Life; mortal beings.
“Ashes are only for those who accept they are sinners and are ready for repentance and to love. “This season is season of penance, alms giving, fasting from food and materials pleasure, especially helping the poor; also attending Stations of the Cross Sacrament regularly, and prayers.”