Pope urges Christians to show concern during Lent
Head of the influential Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XV1 has appealed to Christians to take the Lenten season as time to show love to one another and be concerned with other people.
In his Lenten message for 2012, Pope Benedict XVI has proposed to all Christians a few thoughts in the light of this forty days’ journey.
Inspired by the text from the letter to the Hebrews (10:24) “Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”.
The Pontiff has highlighted that Lenten Season is an opportunity to specially reflect upon charity, which is ‘the very heart of Christian life.’
The Holy Father invites all the faithful to take the Lenten journey of 2012 as an opportunity to show concern for each other by taking up responsibility of a custodian towards their brothers and sisters in a spirit of charity and gentleness.
“However, this would be impossible without getting rid of life of isolation, indifference and selfishness from our hearts,” reads the Pope’s message.
The Pope further points to the fact that to be custodians of each other in the Christian communities implies “desiring what is good for them from every point of view – physical, moral and spiritual.”
“According to Saint Paul, fraternal correction in humility is an act of charity (1 Cor. 12:25). Therefore, taking spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters is considered to be a necessary expression of our genuine concern for the good of our companions in discipleship,” reads the message which Nyasa Times has seen.
The message says the Pope wants the faithful to consider the Lenten journey as a precious moment whereby every Christian takes heed of that call “to be concerned for each other and to stir a response in love and good works by walking together in holiness”
