ASH WEDNESDAY: A PRIEST ENCOURAGES NIGERIANS TO PRAY FOR PEACEFUL ELECTIONS

Rev. Fr. Christian Oji, the parish priest of the Holy Family Parish in Ologo, Enugu State, has asked Nigerians to utilize Ash Wednesday in 2023 to pray for peaceful elections across the nation.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Enugu, Oji offered the advice.

He urged Nigerians to pray for peaceful elections in Nigeria and for God to have a presence in their hearts throughout the Lenten season, which starts on Ash Wednesday.

He asserts that now is a time when Nigeria should be worried about what is taking place in the country, make amends with one another, seek peace and honesty, and assist the less fortunate.

Nigerians should now assist their country in achieving its goals and glory, according to Oji.

Ash Wednesday, according to the pastor, is a time when Christians everywhere identify with Jesus Christ’s sufferings.

According to him, this is a serious time when all Christians fast and engage in other practices that strengthen their trust in Jesus, such as abstinence and almsgiving.

“This is a time for forgiveness toward one another and toward God, as well as for fasting.

He explained, “Ash makes us grasp the nothingness of man and that he cannot exist without the presence of Christ in him. Ash defines that we are nothing but came from dust and to dust we shall return.

He said that it was a moment for Christians to consider how their lives have benefited from what Christ has done for humanity and how it has aided them on their spiritual journey.

It is a special time for Christians and a time when we seek peace and identify with the cross, he said.

Oji claimed that the 40 days of Lent were intended to be a time of retreat as part of the preparation for Easter.