Reflections on the season of Lent
Today is the first Sunday in the season of Lent which began on March 6 with Ash Wednesday. Lent is an annual event in the Church calendar and precedes the feast of Easter which will be celebrated on April 21. The dates of Lent are determined by the date of Easter which changes from year to year. The colour associated with Lent is purple and during this period purple vestments are used in Church, including altar cloths and the garments priests wear.
The season of Lent lasts 40 days and reflects the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness after his baptism by John the Baptist at River Jordan, before his wonderful ministry, which lasted only three years. African leaders should emulate Jesus in this regard.
The 40 days of Lent also reflect the 40 hours Jesus spent in the tomb after he was crucified and before his resurrection from death on Easter. The tomb was generously made available by a Jewish councillor, whom Luke calls, “a good and upright man.” Joseph of Arimathea must, I guess, be in heaven enjoying eternal life.
Meaning and significance of Lent
The themes or pillars of Lent are repentance, fasting and giving alms. During the Ash Wednesday Mass or service, as Anglicans say, a priest makes a sign of the cross using ashes on the forehead of Christians as a symbol of our mortality and our need for repentance. As the priest applies the ashes to the forehead, he says, “Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
The priest may alternatively say, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” and Gospel means the good news of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Gospel describes the message of Christianity, as well as the first four Books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which record the life and teachings of Jesus.
The season of Lent is an appropriate time for us who profess to be Christians to reflect on the themes of Lent, fasting, giving alms and repentance. Fasting has always been an important aspect and tradition of Lent.
In practical terms, fasting means giving up for at least 40 days something one likes and enjoys, such as, meat, beer, wine, chocolate, smoking or social media. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, most Christians will deliberately not eat meat. Fasting instils discipline and self-control, which is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
As a predominantly Christian country whose national motto is “For God and My Country,” Ugandans and especially the political leaders of Uganda, must repent for the sins we have committed, individually and collectively, against God and our country. Make no mistake we are all sinners.
As the John the Divine wrote: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right; He will forgive our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. If we say we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1 v 8-10 (GNB)
The sins Uganda’s political leaders must seek forgiveness and repentance for are many; they include gross violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of Ugandans, with impunity; endemic and systemic corruption on a massive scale which is a violation of God’s eighth commandment which says, you shall not steal; rampant practice of witchcraft which violates the first four commandments; rampant killings of innocent people all over the country, especially women, etc.
It’s my hope that Ugandans will find time during Lent to pray for our beloved country, which has gone astray and is facing difficult and uncertain times. God has blessed Uganda with enormous human and natural resources which must be used for the benefit of Ugandans from all walks of life, but ultimately for the glory of God. I wish our esteemed readers a fruitful and blessed Season of Lent. May the Lord have mercy!
Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
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