By Stanley Onyekwere
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has charged Christian Pilgrims and other Nigerians to earnestly seek and embrace moral rebirth, in order to help bring about better development and changes in all facets of their lives.
Making this assertion, Chairman, FCT-CAN, Rev. Dr. Jonah Samson, noted that through moral rebirth, the nation will begin to grow to a higher height.
Rev. Samson said if there is moral and spiritual rebirth, citizens won’t be killing one another, but will be patriotic to their nation, and won’t take the nation backwards.
The clergyman gave this charge while fielding questions from journalists on using Pilgrimage as a tool for Moral and Spiritual rebirth, which is the theme of the 2020 Christian Pilgrimage, holding in the Kingdom of Jordan.
He explained that morality, it’s what every believer ought to practice in his or her heart, because if morally they are right, their nation, families and other things will begin to fall in place.
“When we talk about morality and righteousness are not far away from each other. Righteousness means doing the right thing. We are talking about moral and spiritual rebirth not only to our families, but also to our nation.
“So having embarked on this pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Jordan, the essence is to pray, so that this moral and spiritual rebirth will take place in our land.
“We are ensuring that every Nigeria Pilgrim to Jordan stay focused on the theme- driving it in our conducts, our daily messages and our prayers. Not only that, it should be translated back home, so that people should see our lives shinning so that the moral and spiritual rebirth should begin with us as Pilgrims”, he stressed.
He continues: “We are yearning for change, and change begins with me (individually), if I’m corrupt (before Pilgrimage), after the exercise I shouldn’t be corrupt again; if I’m lazy, I should work with my hands, to be able to take care of myself and help others. So there are a lot of messages or lessons we can learn from the theme of this edition of the Pilgrimage to Jordan.
“It’s not just on us as Pilgrims, but it’s applicable virtually to every leader in Nigeria- political and spiritual leaders. If we are able to have this moral and spiritual rebirth, even politically things will change- either being a Muslim or Christian.
“The Muslims go on Hajj; and we Christians also go on Pilgrimage, so it’s required that all of these that we get both in Hajj and Christian pilgrimage, should bring better changes to our country. Nigeria cannot be stagnant, as the nation should be able to develop, so that’s our yearning, and we pray that every person will take this seriously”.
Similarly, Secretary of FCT CAN, Bishop Mike Akpami, noted that the Pilgrimage is quite a unique one, in the sense that the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) is exploring new frontiers like the land of the Kingdom of Jordan, which has a lot of Bible history, to enable Nigeria Pilgrims to explore the opportunity of drawing closer to God.
Describing the theme as apt, he said: “if we have moral values restored, righteousness will be upheld, and the nation will be rebuilt. And I pray that Pilgrims and other Nigerians will have a moral rebirth, because that’s the pathway to rebuilding our great nation.
“And, if we are able to make definate decision as to moving away from the moral flaws of Bible characters, and then pursuing after righteousness.”
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