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By Juliana Nwachukwu
The Bishop on the Niger, Rt Rv Dr Owen Nwokolo has urged Nigerians to be quiet for a moment as Lenten season starts, describing it as a season to slow down, to be quiet for a moment, a season for us to ask questions concerning our spiritual wellbeing.
Bishop Nwokolo who said this during his church service and the Holy Communion that accompanied the marking of the ash at the Calvary Chapel, Bishopscourt, GRA, Onitsha amid absolute solemnity stated that Ash Wednesday is a Christian religious rite marking the beginning of the trial, passion, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In his homily he explained that the Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Lenten Season. "As we commence this Lenten Season, it is expedient we ask ourselves, where is our treasures?"
Making reference to Matthew 6:19, the bishop said, "do not store up for yourselves, treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there, your heart will be also."
He remarked that anything "we value so much becomes our treasure", saying that silver and gold were not evil, but that such things do not last for ever", chiding those he said were always busy amassing wealth at the detriment of their spirit.
Also expounding James 4, "You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly in order to spend what you get on your pleasures", the bishop said that to some people, what mattered was the temporary satisfaction they usually derived from their spendings.
He rather explained that there were certain sacrifices he said God wants believers to always embark upon, saying that such were "sacrifices where nobody is pushing you, paying school fees for people in need and supporting the works of mission and evangelism. These things are treasures stored up in heaven".
Bishop Nwokolo therefore entreated christians to endeavour to learn how to spend their wealth wisely reminding them that it was better "to store our treasures in heaven".
He later administered ash on the fore heads of members of the congregation with the solemn distribution of the Holy Communion.
* Nwachukwu is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State *
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