Lent, therefore, comes handy to provide us with a golden opportunity to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves and keep our footsteps firm and sure on this track towards heaven! It provides us the necessary graces to maintain our spiritual equilibrium in the midst of all these fallacies and erroneous beliefs. One thing that should encourage us on this journey is the example of Christ. On His journey to the cross, Jesus, our pacesetter in faith, fell three times. He suffered grievously. He was bruised, derided, spat upon, jeered at, mocked by the very people He came to save, betrayed by His trusted disciple, denied three times by the head of His apostolic band, yet He did not waver, or give in to despair. He went on headlong to His cross in all sufferings and sorrows, and through it joy has come out of sorrow, hope out of despair, love out of hatred, light out of darkness, gain out of pain, life out of death, and eternity out of time. This is our hope. With God on our side, we shall see this journey to the end. Arise, my friends, let us be on our way. Arise from the Babylon of sin; let us be on our way to Jerusalem, the city of our God. Arise from the vale of tears; let us be on our way to gale of joy. Arise from the bed of shame; let us be on our way to the hull of fame. Arise from the ashes of misery; let us be on our way to the wind of peace. Arise from the pit of destruction; let us be on our way to the mountain of salvation. Arise from the valley of despair; let us be on our way to the tower of hope. Arise from the fears of the cross; let us be on our way to the tower of hope. Arise from the fear of the cross; let us be on our way to the glory of the crown. Arise, let us be on our way! With our gaze fixed on Christ, strengthened by hope that does not disappoint, let us journey together with Mary, the Star of the Sea, along the paths of salvation. Arise, let us be on our Way. Have a fruitful Lenten Season!
• Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins is the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
