Luanda, 07 March, 2025 / 4:19 PM
Catholic Bishops in Angola have marked the beginning of Lent with calls for conversion, a life of prayer, and the practice of forgiveness among pillars of the Lenten Season.
In separate Ash Wednesday celebrations, Catholic Bishops in the Southern African nation underscored the need for self-examination and repentance during the 40-day journey that concludes with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter.
Presiding over Mass at the Cambiote Prison Center, Archbishop Zeferino Zeca Martins of the Catholic Archdiocese of Huambo called on more than 1,500 inmates to embrace personal transformation.
“During these 40 days leading to the Lord’s Resurrection, one word will resonate in our hearts and lives: conversion,” Archbishop Zeca said during the Wednesday, March 5 Eucharistic celebration.
The Angolan Catholic Archbishop said, “Conversion is a requirement for us to change our lives, our conduct, and our habitual behavior to align more with the will of God, our Father—a God who loves us deeply and wants us all to come to the knowledge of the truth and, one day, to save our lives and our souls from being led to a place of perdition, a place deprived of the contemplation of God's face.”
He said Lent is an opportunity for God to grant the forgiveness of sins, urging inmates to repent of their transgressions.
“God forgives your sins. God erases your sins. After all, that is precisely what Jubilee means—to forgive sins, to set captives and prisoners free, to give hope to those who live in sorrow, and you here, in this place, live in sorrow,” the Angolan member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) said in reference to the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.
He added, “God does not care how great your sins, mistakes, and miseries have been. He does not look at the size of our errors, but through His infinite mercy, He takes pity on each of you and on each of us.”
In the Catholic Archdiocese of Lubango, Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi exhorted the faithful to authenticity in their Lenten actions and sacrifices, warning that these must not be mere displays of religiosity.
“The forty days should be an opportunity to return to the Lord, to allow ourselves to be reconciled, to put order in our hearts, to let the Lord remove what weighs us down, to let Him break the chains that bind and imprison us,” Archbishop Mbilingi said during the March 5 Eucharistic celebration at the Chapel of the Bishops' Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe (CEAST) in Luanda.
He underscored the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as acts of genuine faith rather than means of seeking approval.
“These practices must come from the heart. Jesus invites us to pray in secret, to fast with discretion, and to give alms without seeking recognition. The true reward is not human praise but God’s response, which He gives in secret,” the Angolan-born member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (CSSp./Holy Ghost Fathers/Spiritans) said.
He explained, “When we pray, Jesus invites us to enter our room, away from curious eyes. When we fast, we should not appear as people who are afflicted or suffering. Instead, we should live fasting with discretion and serenity. The same applies to almsgiving.”
The Spiritan Archbishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in January 2000 as Coadjutor Bishop of Angola’s Lwena Catholic Diocese said, “We should not give alms to receive applause, but rather as a sign of our concrete love for our neighbor, for those in difficulty, for those in need—who need our love that shares, our love that has compassion, making our brother’s suffering felt as our own suffering.”
He said, “Lent is the time when we are called to be present, to enter our hearts, and to look within ourselves without seeking visibility.”
Reflecting on the importance of humility, Archbishop Mbilingi said, “Jesus invites us to live in humility, not to be distracted by those who watch us, but to focus solely on Him. In fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, we are not seeking self-affirmation but are preparing ourselves to more fully welcome the merciful love of God.”
He added, “Humility, silent prayer, and a heart that knows how to renounce for the sake of others—these are gestures that make us more like Jesus. Therefore, today, we are called to renew our authentic and profound love, a love without ostentation, without seeking recognition, but practiced for the glory of God and the good of others.”
In the Catholic Diocese of Cabinda, Bishop Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti reflected on forgiveness as the first step toward reconciliation.
“How many friendships have been broken? How many betrayals have wounded hearts? Do we shut people out or take the first step toward healing?” he posed during his Ash Wednesday Mass at Holy Spirit Parish of Cabinda Diocese.
Bishop Chissengueti warned against indifference, saying, “Silence and cowardice are not Christian paths. If we abandon those we consider our enemies, we may bear responsibility for their downfall.”
Encouraging the people of God to embrace the challenge of loving their enemies, the member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (CSSp./Holy Ghost Fathers/Spiritans) said, “Those who oppose us often reveal truths that we fail to see. Their criticism can serve as a call to conversion.”
He urged Christians to see Lent as a time to “mend broken relationships and rediscover the love that once bound them together.”
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