Archbishop Martins tasks Christians on moral values

• ‘Palm Sunday is a celebration of hope’
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Adewale Martins has enjoined Christians to emulate Jesus Christ by imbibing the values of integrity, honesty and welfare for others.

The archbishop made the call yesterday in an interview with The Guardian to mark the Palm Sunday at the Holy Cross Cathedral in Lagos.

He charged Nigerians to have hope in the country, despite the economic decay and the associated depression.

Martins said: “Palm Sunday is a special day for us as Christians, as we commemorate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to begin the work of salvation. We are told to bear the values of Christ wherever we go, for Christians we bear the value of the faith that we have, which is Christ.

As humans we are all creatures of God and therefore the values of integrity, honesty and the welfare of others are very vital. There is so much selfishness and pain in our time and this is the time to live in selflessness and bear the values of Christ.”

The archbishop explained that there was despondency in the land, going by the number of people who have committed suicide, as well as others who are on the verge of doing so.

“It is a sign that the damage that had been done in the society over the years was taking its toll on the people, adding that there is need to work more for the common good and welfare of all,” he said.

On poverty, he said it was not enough for the government to put programmes in place to alleviate people’s sufferings, but to ensure that they were implemented in a people-friendly way.”

Also in Kogi State, the parish Priest of the Catholic Church of the Archangels, Gadumo, Lokoja, Rev. Cyril Obanure has described Palm Sunday as a celebration of hope.

The priest who spoke at a mass in the area said there was hope in celebrating this period because despite the fact that believers knew that Jesus was going to die, they had the hope that he would rise from the dead.

He said palm Sunday is the beginning of the Holy week, which is the most important period in the church’s Liturgical Calendar.