Osunde tasks Christians on humility, alms giving as lent begins

Rev. Fr. Joseph Osunde has enjoined Christians to reconcile with God and their neighbours, as they embark on the 40-day fasting and prayers.

In his homily during the Ash Wednesday mass in Lagos, Osunde called on the faithful to return to God, Who is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Osunde, who represented the Parish Priest of St. Jude Catholic Church, Mafoluku explained that marking of the ash on the foreheads of parishioners remind Christians of their mortality and eternity with God in heaven. He urged Christians to do good, while here on earth.

He said: “This season is a time to return to God. The Prophet Joel tells us to tear our hearts and not our garment. We must come back to Him with fasting and deep contrition over the sins we have committed and He will be gracious to forgive our sins.”

Reminding Christians that they have a duty to bring others to God, Osunde said: “Jesus presents us with three cardinal acts or pillars of this season of grace. It is a time to fast, a time to pray and a time to give alms. However, when giving you must do it in secret and quietly without attracting attention, so that, your heavenly father Who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

“Use fasting to mortify your flesh so that your spirit will glow and radiate. Use prayers to fortify yourself against temptation and seek God’s face over the challenges of life and things we are passing through in this life. Then give alms all the more, so that, your sins will be forgiven, according to 1 Peter 4:8 and the door of heaven will be opened to you in the last day,” he said.

According to Osunde, the Lent season is a time to rise from weakness to strength, wickedness and bitterness to kindness, hatred to love, selfishness to selflessness, unforgiveness to mercy and forgiveness, injustice to justice, prayerlessness to prayerfulness, laziness to devotion and dedication and so on.

“We must rise from sin to holiness, from evil to good, from darkness to light from death to life. This is possible if we humble ourselves and return to the Lord,” he said.