Wednesday February 18th – Ash Wednesday

Today marks the beginning of Lent, that beautiful season of grace when the Church calls us to embark on a spiritual journey of renewal, a journey that we so much need today because of the many evils in our Land. Many stories in the Bible remind us of Lent, the flood of forty days, Jonah being in the belly of the fish for forty days, and even the journey of the Israelites for forty years.  Forty is a symbolic number, it represents a period of preparation, a period of purification because of something good that God is preparing for us. Hence, for our lent as Christians, we are preparing to celebrate the salvation won for us by Jesus and our preparation also covers forty days of FASTING, PRAYER AND ALMSGIVING.

Yes, we may have been involved in all these three practices before, but during Lent, we must embrace them anew and with greater effort and commitment. We must remember that to gain mastery over anything is not easy, we need to discipline ourselves, become focused on spiritual matters and be prayerful.  Fasting helps us because through fasting we consciously deny ourselves of some comforts of life, like food, our special drinks and other pleasures, because it involves our conscious efforts, with prayer and determination we can go through so that the appetite does not rule us but the spirit of God. This is why we must find time for more prayers, so that the grace of God can lift us up when temptation comes or when we feel weak. 

The last discipline of Lent is almsgiving, which is giving to the poor. We will always have the poor with us, hence as we deny ourselves certain things, can we give these things to the poor? Please if you fast from something, don’t keep it in your kitchen, give it out, let it benefit someone, then your blessing will be great. Some people are afraid of doing charity because of the news that evil people can take their destiny through it. Do not be afraid, if you cannot do the charity directly, take those materials to your parish priests, they know how to share with the needy.

May we all find strength to go through this period of grace fruitfully?

 

Let us pray:

Lord, we come to you today, humble and fragile. Lead us in our journey of faith. May we put aside everything contrary to your will. As we face the attacks of evil and other temptations, may your presence be an assurance of victory for us. May our Lenten discipline bear fruits of good works and our eternal redemption. We ask this through Christ, Our Lord .

 May Almighty God bless you…..

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Moment of Grace and Mercy

I am Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Abegunrin, the Archbishop of Ibadan

EASTER SUNDAY – APRIL 5TH 2026

Dear brothers and sisters, children of God. Happy Easter to you all. Praise the Lord! Alleluia. Now our Lenten journey is over. Christ has reached the peak of calvary and the depth of the grave. He died because of us, and he has risen. Alleluia. Joy is born anew. Our hope is made firm. Now that Christ has won NEW LIFE FOR US, we are called to bear witness in the world, and we do this by being true to our faith. By showing the love of God to the world and also by fixing our gaze on heaven and the things of God.

For Christians, Easter is about new life and only God makes new life possible. Our old life is dead; hence we must make conscious efforts not to go back to our sins again. We must reject sin always and choose Christ always.

The story of Jesus’s resurrection is the best good news of humanity. He died and came back to life. This is also what we want for ourselves. Many people struggle daily with no hope of a better future. Please look onto Jesus – He has opened the gate of success for you. Success is possible, victory is possible, new life is possible. All that it takes is to live like Christ. Be obedient to God. Do what God requires of you and live your life for others. Make life better for the people around you. As you give them hope, you too will experience joy. As you help them to find peace in the midst of their sufferings, your salvation will become easier. 

Easter is a celebration of joy, Christ conquered sin and death. He did it for all of us. His resurrection is a powerful message that hope is not lost and that better days are still ahead of us. As Nigerians, Easter is a signpost for us, and it is leading us to God. With God all things are possible – a better country, a better economy and a society free of banditry and kidnapping.  As Easter is the beginning of new life, I wish all of you a time of peace and tranquility, a time of joy and satisfaction, a time of grace and abundance.

Let us pray

Lord Jesus Christ, you have brought us from Lent to Easter, from sin to holiness, from death to life. For this we thank you. Give us your grace to live the new life of Easter always, so that others may come to believe that you are alive. Amen.

May the Blessing of Almighty God….