My dear friends in Christ, in Ezekiel 18:23, the word of God tells us that God is more interested in our repentance than in punishing us. It says ‘I do not take pleasure in the death of a sinful man, rather, let him turn from his evil way and live.’ That disposition of God is evident in the iniquities of the Ninevites as we read in the scripture. Jonah chapter 3:1-10 tells us that the Ninevites repented of their sins and approached the mercies of God on account of the word of God proclaimed by Jonah. Let us be reminded at this Lenten season that God never tires of us or our weaknesses, but rather, he is always ready to acknowledge the little efforts that we make to repent and to change our ways, once we make them from a sincere heart. The repentance shown by the Ninevites was not a pretence; it was a sincere and total repentance, hence, they were forgiven by God. The word of God reminds us in Psalm 51:3 and 4 that the Lord does not scorn a broken and humble heart. So, my dear brother, my dear sister, let your repentance be sincere. Do not let your going to confession be a routine. Do not mock God, but rather, do a genuine repentance and make a genuine resolution never to commit the sins again. One more thing dear friends; as a country called Nigeria we are like the Ninevites. We have also sinned either by omission or commission, so that our country is in the mess that it is now; violence, kidnapping, armed banditry, hatred and prejudice of all sorts. As a country, we know we need to toe the same line as the Ninevites; follow the path of repentance. We need to listen to the word of God that calls us to repentance, individually and collectively, so that we too can get a reprieve in the same way as the people of Nineveh did. Beloved in Christ, in this season of Lent, the Lord calls us to a change of heart individually and as a country. We have to change our ways, so that things will change for the better for our country. Scripture tells us in 2Chronicles, 7:14 ‘If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then, I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land.
• Most. Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
