We welcome you all to the month of September, the ninth month of the year which notably brings the third quarter of the year to an end. This month ushers us into the “ember” months which reminds us that the year is gradually coming to an end and of the need to examine the progress made thus far particularly in our Christian journey. In our Archdiocese, the month of September leads us into a period of harvest thanksgiving and bazaar. This period offers us the opportunity to thank God with the best fruits of our labour for his abiding love, faithfulness and blessings upon us. We pray that the Lord of the harvest will accept our gifts as he accepted the gift of his servant, Abel the just. In this month, the Church in her wisdom presents to her faithful, feasts which assist us to understand and appreciate the paschal mystery of Our Lord Jesus Christ. These feasts include the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8 and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14. The Nativity of Mary marks the beginning of the unraveling of God’s plan of salvation for his people, while the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, which is the patron feast day of our Archdiocese, brings to completion the mission of God’s plan for his people on the Cross. By his death on the cross, Christ destroyed their enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into one body and brought them back to God. (Eph. 2:16).
• Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins is the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
