Many of us want to grow in holiness and draw closer to God. Our perception of our personal holiness or closeness to God often revolves around how many prayers we say, how many spiritual books we read, how often we attend church, how often we receive the sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance, or whether we are good parents or good people. Yes, these are excellent steps toward holiness and closeness to God, and I encourage and recommend that we all practice them.
Father Jacob Dankasa
I want you to know how much I believe in and love Lent, and I want you to know how much I wish that no one would say “I don’t believe in Lent.”
There is an adage in one of the Nigerian languages (Hausa) that says “Zumunci a kafa ta ke,” translated directly as “fellowship (or relationship) is on the foot.” This means that true fellowship is shown through physical presence. This adage reminds us of the need for demonstrating fellowship or relationship through physical visitation, which is even more important in today’s world, where physical presence is often replaced by media technology. In our busy world there is a tendency to neglect the need for physical visitation with family members and friends. Of course, COVID-19 is a setback to our physical presence at this time, but even without COVID our world and all its demands have, at least to some degree, forced many people into a life of individualism and separatism. Many of us explain why we are unable to be with family and friends with the simple excuse that we are too busy.