My dear Brothers and Sisters, let us reflect on the theme, ‘God’s promise of freedom and abundance to His people.’ In the passage from Isaiah 49:8-15, we heard of God’s promising redemption to His people. He says, ‘At the favourable time, I will answer you. On the day of salvation, I will help you, and I will say to the prisoners, come out. He says Father, Zion was saying, the Lord has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me. Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Even if this forget, I will never forget you.’
This message of the prophet was given at a time when Israel was undergoing serious challenges in their nationhood. The troubles had lasted so long that they were beginning to doubt that the Lord was still on their side. Just at that moment of despair, they received the message of hope and encouragement. My dear friends, we can see this to some extent in the life of many countries, including our own. We can see how people have gone far away from the Lord, with the leadership engaging in all forms of shenanigan activities, and the followership being complacent in the way many have cooperated with them to manipulate elections over the years, and rule the land as if corrupt rule is the only way to rule.
We have heard of the infamous ways and means for example, and the diversion of funds in ways that impoverish the people. We have allowed ethnic loyalties to rule us in taking decisions, and so on and so forth. The result is that there is abject poverty and criminal activities, banditry, kidnapping, etc. Some, especially our young people have decided to go on voluntary exile under the title of ‘Japa’ today. We also receive the assurance of the presence of God with us, in spite of our present challenges as a country. The assurance that God is with us is simply to tell us that we shall not be alone in dealing with our issues. It is not to make us complacent, leaving everything in the hands of God.
God will not do for us what He has empowered us to do for ourselves. If we act with sincerity and fear of the Lord, doing our little best to act for the purpose of the common good in our little corners and areas of influence, then, the redemption and restoration that God has promised will be realised before our very eyes. Dear Brothers, dear Sisters, God also promised abundance to His people. He said, ‘You will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun shall never plague them. We have assurance that the promise of the Lord would be fulfilled in our own lives and our own country if we create the environment that is necessary to cooperate with God.
Government giving the necessary incentives for agriculture, the forest and farm lands being made secure for the farmers to go back to their farms, and people recognising that every little parcel of land that they have can be used to plant whatever is possible as a little contribution to helping to fulfill God’s message of abundance for his people, the people of Nigeria. The first promise of God today is that the scorching wind and the sun shall not plague us. By that, He is reminding us to take whatever step we can to ensure that we preserve the earth, our common home for the coming generations.
If we continue to carry on with our habits of abusing the environment; the big corporations not seeking new and sustainable materials for their production and packaging of their products. If they continue to dispose their waste in ways that harm the environment, if governments do not make policies and regulations to guide the way we treat the environment, if we on our own part continue to block up the drains with refuse and build on waterways, if we do not make efforts to use materials that are bio-degradable, then, God is not to blame if the scorching winds heat up our environment and the sun plagues us. The will of God for us is that the scorching wind and the sun will not plague us.
Let us do what we can to make this come true as partners with God in the continuous act of creation. Remember we are in the Lenten Season, do make an effort to participate on Wednesdays and Fridays in Stations of the Cross that hold in all our parishes in the Archdiocese, do make an effort to participate in this pious devotion. God bless you. May the Almighty God bless you as you go about your tasks today in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
• Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
