As the Catholic Church embarks on the sacred season of Lent, Most Rev. Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo has reminded Christians of the true essence of this period. Lent, he emphasised, is a lifelong invitation to repentance and friendship with God and our fellow human beings. The call to repentance, as Bishop Badejo noted, is not unique to Lent. John the Baptist, the greatest man born of woman, made repentance the central message of his ministry.
Jesus Christ, too, began his public ministry with the same call to repentance, urging people to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand” (Matt. 3:2, 4:17). Lent is also a time for remembrance, a reminder of our frailty and mortality. As Bishop Badejo pointed out, God’s words to humanity at creation – “…dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19) – serve as a humbling reminder of our limitations. The ashes applied on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, symbolise our repentance in humility.
