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THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (Anglican Communion)
THE MOST REV. PETER J. AKINOLA, D.D.
Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria.
15th February, 2006
My dear People of God,
The Passion of our Lord, (Lenten Season 2006)
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ who fasted and prayed in order to make a success of his ministry here on earth, that work finished on the cross through which we are reconciled to the most High God.
We have cause to thank God for the Church and how He has led us from the expectant season of Advent through the Christmas season where we once again celebrated the incarnation of our Lord. He also kept us through Epiphany as we rejoiced in the revelation and joined in the proclamation of the gift of the Christ.
I write to encourage you in this week of Septuagesima, as we prepare for the Lenten season which starts on Ash Wednesday,1st March 2006.
A careful look at the world today brings to remembrance the words of Apostle Paul indicating that we are living in 'Perilous times' (2 Tim 3:1).
Spiritually, people now only seem to love themselves and the unrighteous mammon. What obtains is religious gangsterism, distortion of the historic faith and doctrines, outright denial of the faith, pandering of falsehood and half- truths, self seeking and self glorification instead of seeking the glory of God by self appointed prophets and preachers who ought to have known better.
At the human and physical level, there is much moral decadence, encouragement of violence and lasciviousness by the screens, eroded family values and shameless immorality actively supported and promoted outside our shores by some government laws in the name of human rights and even encouraged by some religious groups in the corrupted name of love.
We are forced to witness unimaginable levels of destruction as a result of wars, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, HIV/AIDS pandemic, strange virus infections as well as building and vehicular accidents on land, sea and in the air.
How do we interpret all these? Mere coincidences or a manifestation of God's wrath on his 'erring world'? Whichever way you look at it, we are indeed in "perilous times."
I invite you therefore to use this holy season of lent for critical self examination leading to genuine repentance wherever we have failed God, our nation and ourselves and in humility seek God's grace and forgiveness.
Throughout this penitential season, may we for once shun all flamboyance, shed all excesses as well as all forms of corrupt practices, and truly seek to be a people of God for whom Christ has died.
I encourage you to create more time to meditate on the Word of God. Seek to come into a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus as you deny yourself, carrying your cross daily and walking with Him to Golgotha. Crucified with Him, may we all rise to a fresh hope for a new life at Easter.
The Grace of God be with you.
Signed,
The Most Rev. Peter J Akinola D.D, CON
Primate Of All Nigeria
