The joy of being a Catholic sprouts from the wealth of the ceremony that marks our birth into the faith in the waters of rebirth and is ripened in the elaborate rite of passage unto eternal life that only our Church can boast of. It is heavenly to be born into the Catholic faith in the Sacrament of baptism, and it is glorious to die a Catholic in the burial Masses that are celebrated for Catholics. These burial Masses are garnished with holy and fitting intercessory hymns and chants that rise perfectly into the heavens with the smoke from the incense. God smells the sweet scent of this holy incense and in turn accepts the soul of his faithful like an evening offering.
My dear brothers and sisters, we are, indeed, a blessed Community and our hearts should be filled with joy that we belong to this special family of God. We are twice blessed in the Trinity, the Sacraments, our patrimony and agelong faith in Christ who is the Head of our Church. While we rejoice and are proud of our patrimony, we nevertheless acknowledge the teaching of Christ and His Church that even though we believe that we are blessed with the fullness of the truth, we do not deny the grace of God being made available to others also and being present with them as well. May our daily expression of faith in God lead us all to eternal life. Amen.
• Most. Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
