Catholic Christians of Our Lady Queen of Apostles Basilica Mvolye, Yaounde have been called to use the lenten period to to strengthen spirituality.
February 22nd 2023 marked Ash Wednesday and began the Lenten period of the present year. Preaching while celebrating Mass, Deacon Emmanuel Longang exhorted the faithful to strive for holiness. He listed the fruits of the Holy Spirit and encouraged Christians to exhibit those fruits as they carry out their Lenten obligations. The fruits include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Speaking to the press, Aloyse Essono, rector of the Basilica, recalled the importance and nature of lent
“the lenten period is fundamentally a period of recollection and sympathy with those suffering. It introduces us to an understanding of suffering and it’s in this suffering that we will be able to live a life of prayer , fasting and almsgiving.
The ashes in the form of the sign of the cross that the Christians take symbolizes that man is dust and will return to dust, that’s what they must understand today, that God made us from dust , and when we understand this we will start looking at death from a different dimension, that it’s not the end of life but a passing unto another life, which is eternal life.
And when we understand we are dust, we start living with our brothers, knowing that one day we’ll become dust, that’s we will die and will have to answer before God our father.
So we are called upon to live a good life and promote love of one another. And as such we will have a community in which we are all brothers and sisters with the same Lord, Jesus Christ” the rector explained.
Christian who turned out for the Mass were hopeful that the period would enable them draw closer to God.
Abeng Eminie said “The attitude i will adopt during this lenten period is not to cause problems with people and continue with a good attitude even after lent. I will live this lenten period by praying”
Jean Alphonse Ogolong said
“During this lenten period, I will struggle to be at peace with myself and brethren, live a life of prayer , fasting and almsgiving”
Marie Noel Ng’obama said
“According to the catechism of the catholic church, the lenten period is a period during which the christian is called upon to live earthly things and renew their relations with God and live a life of prayer fasting and almsgiving”
According to the roman missal, the Lenten Period is essentially a penitent one. Ashes administered are gotten from the olive branches of palm Sunday of the previous year. The ashes are administered in the fashion of early faithful in the old and new testament who wore ashes and sackcloth as a symbol of mourning and repentance
The lenten period lasts forty days with Christians practicing fasting, prayers and almsgiving.