Faithful Urged to Embrace Repentance and Renewal This Lent

The faithful have been called upon to change their lives and turn back to God by embracing what Mother Church requires during this Lenten season.

Lent is a sacred time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The tradition of Ash Wednesday dates back centuries in the Catholic Church, when Bishops would receive catechumens for instruction, beginning with public penance. These catechumens would later be baptised at the Easter Vigil.

During the Ash Wednesday Mass at Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine, Fr. Ronnie Kibagajjo reminded the faithful that Lent is a renewed opportunity to draw closer to God.

“Today, Mother Church gives us another chance in this Lenten season to move closer to God. As we begin our penance, we are given 40 days of fasting. What we are going to do is not something new. We are not the first, and we shall not be the last. Even Christ fasted. Who are we not to fast?” he said.

In his homily, Fr. Kibagajjo emphasised that while Christians already pray, fast, and give alms, Lent calls them to practise these pillars in a more intentional and spiritual way.

“As we receive the ashes on our foreheads, we are reminded to ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel.’ Everything we do is rooted in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to turn back and live a life grounded in Christ,” he explained.

The ashes also remind believers that they are dust and to dust they shall return, a reflection on human humility and God’s creation.

As the faithful journey toward Good Friday, remembering Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary, they are encouraged to love one another and share the Good News throughout Lent.

Fr. Kibagajjo stressed that repentance must bear fruit. “Our repentance is not for show. It must produce fruits,” he said, referring to the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

He urged Christians to practise charity sincerely, not for recognition. Quoting the Gospel of Matthew, he reminded the faithful that when the right hand gives, the left should not know.

“The essence is love. We help others not so that we may be seen as great Christians, but because we see Christ in them,” he said, recalling the Scripture: ‘When I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink.’

He also noted that coming for Mass, despite the rain, was itself an act of sacrifice, a visible sign of commitment at the beginning of this holy season.

“This period is a time of sacrifice. Everything we do is for the sake of the Kingdom of God,” he said.