Lent is a time to get more intimate with God —Bishop Ademola

What is the significance of the Lenten period?

Lent is a period that Christians practise moderation; a time  when we watch our utterances, attitudes and  character. It is also a time  that we help the needy.  We are to do things moderately throughout the 40 days. It is a time when we  fast but for people with health challenges, we tell them that they can break their fast at  9am in the morning or  12 in the afternoon and for them to take part in the prayer sessions.

For many people,  lent is basically about abstinence from food but you just said that it has to do with us minding our utterances and our behaviour. Can you expantiate?

Our mindset about lent is that it is total abstinence from food but when we move close to theologians, they will tell us it is more than that. It is about letting go of what you hold in high esteem  and moving closer to God. So, what you like doing most ,you can drop them during this period, humble yourself before God and let him know you are nothing without Him because when you die, no matter how wealthy or poor you are, you cannot take anything with you. So, lent is not just about not eating food; it is about getting more intimate with God.

Should  people only live a moderate lifestyle during lenten period alone or it should be  a consistent way of life ?

In our diocese, we have something that we call pilgrimage journey, that means we are on a  journey with God. Even after lent,  we expect our members, through our preaching and Sunday school manuals, to live like Christ, that is what is called Christianity. If you can’t be exactly like Him then,  be a little Christ. It is not just during lent, it is a lifestyle. Christianity is not a religion, it is a lifestyle. We are moving backward to that lifestyle of  Christianity.  We should follow the precept laid by our Lord Jesus Christ. We should attend church services and learn to be like Jesus. We should put into practice every thing we will learn during this period and should continue to live a righteous lifestyle even after the 40 days fasting is over.

• Lenten period: Clerics speak

Some churches don’t observe the lenten period. What is your view on this?

There is no church that does not have a  fasting period, only that some don’t subscribe to this 40  days and 40 nights calendar. Some have their own schedule of fasting which they don’t call lent. You can observe the fasting period anytime you want, it does not have to be March or April, it can even be in December or any other month.

As the pioneer Bishop of Ibadan North Diocese of the African Church.  How has the journey been so far?

The Ibadan North Diocese of the African Church, since it was inaugurated in 2018,  has been marching on through the grace of God.  Though we may have our challenges but God has been giving  us the grace to overcome them. The major challenge I had was that people thought we had to continue doing the things the same way  that they were doing  them when they were in the former diocese, but I had to tell them that being a new diocese, we have to do some things differently. I must say that they have been fully cooperating with me. Also, being a new diocese some things are not readily available but God has been helping us. I believe in the next two, three years, the diocese will grow  into a wonderful diocese that many Christians will be proud of.

What advice do you have for the newly elected leaders in Nigeria?

For President Muhammadu Buhari, my advice is that  he should do an  assessment of  his first term in office,  look at the things  that did not work well  and  try to fix them but the ones that  worked well, he should continue with them. He should be focused and should not allow himself to be distracted. For our incoming governors, they should rule with the fear of God and learn from the mistakes of their predecessors. They should not repeat the same mistake they made. Secondly, they should not take the citizens for granted. They should listen more to the people than their fellow politicians.

What roles do we have to play as followers?

The Bible in Romans   12: 1-2  we were taught that as followers we should exercise our civic duties. We should pay our tax, obey rules and order and we should pray for our leaders.