Prayer, Forgiveness “vital for our spiritual growth”: Catholic Bishop in South Sudan

Tonj, 24 February, 2023 / 1:44 AM

A life of prayer and reaching out to God for mercy and the grace to be forgiving are essential in a person's life, a Catholic Bishop in South Sudan has said.

Bishop Alex Lodiong Sakor Eyobo who was presiding over Ash Wednesday Mass at Christ the King Cathedral of Yei Diocese, his Episcopal See, cautioned against the temptation to “get tired of prayer and forgiveness”.

“Let us never get tired of prayer and forgiveness because (they are) vital for our spiritual growth,” Bishop Lodiong said, and added, “Our prayer helps to support one another on our road to salvation.” 

The South Sudanese Catholic Bishop underscored the need for fraternity and solidarity, saying, “We know that even in times of crisis we still need to reach out to our sisters and brothers wherever they are to show our support for them.”

“As we fast for forty days to remember Jesus Christ who fasted before he did his work, we should continue asking God to help us and those away from us through prayers,” he said.

The 52-year-old Catholic Bishop who started his Episcopal Ministry last year on May 15 added, “I am encouraging all of us Christians to be strong and renew our faith during this Lenten season.”

“It’s the right time for us to change our hearts from whatever evil we were doing,” Bishop Lodiong further said, adding, “We have to commit ourselves to prayers and it must be the prayers that come from our hearts.” 

He continued, “It should not be the prayers that come from our mouths that in the end don't give us something that will change our lives.”

“The prayers that come from our hearts is the one that can change our lives as a Christian community,” the South Sudanese Catholic Bishop said in his February 22 homily.

Bishop Lodiong added, “Jesus Christ reminds us that it’s not necessary to say a lot of words but if you talk a few words from the bottom of your heart things will be able to change.”