By Olivia Obijiaku The Parish Priest of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Rev Fr Sebastian Vincent has charged his parishioners to take stock of their Lenten observances.
The priest who gave this charge in the parish on Saturday 23rd March 2024 encouraged those who have not lived up to expectation to make the most of the Holy Week.His words, “Reflecting on the first reading, the Gospel reading, and the Psalm, yes we are on the brink of finishing our Lenten Campaign, what have you gathered? How much has the journey been to you in terms of success, in terms of what you set out to do? Some of us will be thinking, ‘What did I actually set out to do during this Lenten Season?’ How has the journey been?
Are you reaping the fruits of your Lenten Campaign or you do not even know when the time passed?Some of us feel abandoned. Even on the journey so far, some of us feel nothing is working for them.
Some have even given up and some are at the brink of giving up. But I am telling you this, no matter what, keep the flame burning. Keep doing the good thing you are doing. Intensify your efforts. God continues to do what He knows how to do best – to guide us, to protect us and to bless us. And the psalmist encourages us today especially those at the brink of giving up or those who have given up, ‘The Lord will keep us as a shepherd keeps his flock.’
The Lord as the Shepherd will continue to do His work – to keep us safe. We in return as sheep have to cooperate with the Shepherd. “Fr Vincent told them to seek Jesus for their own good rather than emulate the Jews, who were “the sheep plotting to kill the Shepherd for raising Lazarus from the dead.”
