Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do ... - Christ the King

Issue # 1 | March – May 2013
My Home Parish: St. John’s
Catholic Church, Nigeria
Submitted by Francis Richard
My home parish is near the city of
Jos, in the northern part of Nigeria.
During the time of Lent, I'm
reminded of great memories.
Christians all over the world are
observing the season of Lent,
which began last week. It is a 40-
day period marked by fasting,
prayers, penance, repentance, selfdenial
and works of charity in
remembrance of the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. On
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
in Nigeria we don't eat meat.
During Lent, the eating of meat and
associated products are
traditionally prohibited, as a mark of
self-discipline, and a form of
“spiritual tithing”. Key themes of
Lent include a time to reflect on the
social implications of Jesus who
offered himself to be tortured,
mocked, humiliated and killed on
the cross next to a thief and a
murderer — all for the benefit of
other people's upliftment from
oppression — and his triumph over
them all.
The annual season of Christians
preparing for Easter is a time for
taking stock of wrongs done in the
past year, and mapping out
corrective initiatives which could be
practiced individually or collectively.
In Nigeria, vigorous traditions of
worship by the country's Christian
community continue to have a
great potential for fighting the ills of
corruption, making sacrifices for the
wellbeing of the country's education
and health sectors, achieving
agricultural and industrial growth,
as well as ending kidnappings for
quick wealth through ransoms.
One special memory I have is of
the stations of the cross. On the
Thursday before Good Friday, you
have to do a "night vision". We stay
up all night and pray and reflect on
Christ’s suffering for our sake.
Everyone in our community has to
precipitate in this ritual. While
regarding the pictures of the 14
stations of the cross, we follow a
leader who initiates the prayers and
the parishioners recite texts in
response.
For example, here is the text we
recite at the first station, which
depicts Jesus being condemned to
death:
Jesus, you stand all alone before
Pilate. Nobody speaks up for you.
Nobody helps defend you. You
devoted your entire life to helping
others, listening to the smallest
ones, caring for those who were
ignored by others. They don't seem
to remember that as they prepare
to put you to death.
As a child, sometimes I feel alone.
Sometimes I feel that others don't
stand up for me and defend me
when I am afraid. Sometimes I
don't feel like I am treated fairly,
especially if I am scolded or
corrected.
As an adult, sometimes I feel
abandoned and afraid as well.
Sometimes I too, feel like I am
treated unfairly or blamed for things
unfairly. I have a hard time when
people criticize me at home or at
work.
Help me be grateful for what you
did for me. Help me to accept
criticism and unfairness as you did,
and not complain. Help me pray for
those who have hurt me.
My Jesus, often have I signed the
death warrant by my sins; save me
by Thy death from that eternal
death which I have so often
deserved.
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be to
the Father.
[Editor’s Note: Francis fled Nigeria
last year shortly after his church
was attacked by the Islamist terror
group Boko Haram, which has
systematically been coordinating
attacks on Catholic and other
Christian churches in Nigeria.
According to the Nigerian
government, since January 2011
these terrorist attacks have killed
over 1,500 Nigerian Christians.]