{"id":116403,"date":"2026-02-22T04:13:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T04:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116403"},"modified":"2026-02-22T04:13:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T04:13:38","slug":"religious-affairs-minister-urges-christians-to-embrace-charity-and-humility-as-lent-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116403","title":{"rendered":"Religious Affairs Minister urges Christians to embrace charity and humility as Lent begins"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>1 Minute, 29 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><div>\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-71\">The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has issued a call to the Christian community to use the season of Lent as a catalyst for national renewal and social justice. <\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-71\">In an official message dated 19th February 2026, the Minister emphasised that the true essence of the fast lies in actions that transcend mere words.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-72\">Describing Lent as a \u201cforty-day journey\u201d that mirrors the sacrifice of Christ, the Minister urged the faithful to move beyond personal reflection and toward the active cultivation of compassion and selflessness.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-73\">The Minister\u2019s address, directed at Christian ecumenical bodies and the wider public, framed the Lenten season as a vital period for strengthening the nation\u2019s social fabric. He noted that while fasting and prayer are foundational, they must be accompanied by tangible efforts to support the marginalised.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-74\">\u201cLet us remember that true worship is not only expressed in words but also in deeds that uplift others and advance justice, peace, and harmony,\u201d the Minister stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-75\">The Ministry expressed hope that the discipline of the season would translate into a heightened sense of stewardship toward the country. The message linked spiritual renewal directly to civic responsibility, calling for a collective resolve to live as \u201cfaithful stewards of our faith and our nation\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Key themes of the Minister\u2019s Lenten Message:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deep Reflection: Drawing closer to God through humility.<\/li>\n<li>Disciplined Fasting: Inspiring personal and communal discipline.<\/li>\n<li>Active Charity: Bringing hope to the vulnerable through selfless acts.<\/li>\n<li>National Harmony: Advancing justice and peace through daily conduct.<\/li>\n<li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-80\">Concluding the release, the Minister offered his best wishes for a \u201cblessed and fruitful\u201d season to all Christians, praying for divine grace to sustain the citizenry throughout the period<sup><\/sup>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p id=\"p-rc_0af36b72d7c72d78-81\">\u201cGod bless you, and God bless our homeland, Ghana,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lent.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Lent.\"><\/object>LentDownload<\/div>\n<\/div>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"116403\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n           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catalyst for national renewal and social justice.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13840,11683,1906,17319,1883,117,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christ","category-christian","category-hp-news-5","category-lent","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116403\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}