On Palm Sunday, St Anne, Sasa, joined Catholics worldwide in commemorating Jesus Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The celebration began with a vibrant procession, where parishioners danced and jubilated; waving palm branches in a joyous reenactment of the Biblical event. As we processed through the streets, our voices raised in praise and worship, echoing the crowds who hailed Jesus as the Messiah. The procession culminated in a solemn and festive Mass, where we reflected on the significance of Jesus’ journey to the Cross and his ultimate sacrifice for humanity.

The Holy Mass was celebrated by the Parish Priest, Rev. Father Peter Ajeigbe, who tagged his reflection for the Sunday “Self emptiness propels us to do the will of God”. He defined Self emptiness as an act of sacrificing our will for the sake of God. He gave a case study of Joseph and Mother Mary, who sacrificed their dreams of being a young couple and obeyed God’s will by being the earthly parents of Christ. ‘You have to empty yourself of your dreams and become receptive of God’s will and divine direction.’ He said.

Fr. Peter further advised the congregation to be a “Divine Mumu” or “Òde Jesu”. He drew this from the teaching of St. Paul that we are fools for the sake of Christ. He said if you are a fool for Christ, you would find sacrificing anything for God easy. You would do things to please God the Father.

He admonished his parishioners to be like Jesus. “Everywhere you find yourself, the first thing is to look for a way to please God. For example, if you find yourself at a party, find a way to please God there. There is no place that you can’t do good.”

The best way to achieve Self emptiness is to first of all strip yourself of all vices. Vices have to exit your life for the power of God to work in you. You have to get rid of pride, hatred, greed, etc.

He concluded his homily by admonishing that people should think more and be weary of spiritual death, rather than the physical death. The physical death is the first death. After that comes judgement. Spiritual death is eternal condemnation. The best way to prevent the second death (spiritual death) is by doing the will of God, every moment of our lives.