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EASTER CELEBRATIONS

KAMPALA - The Catholic Bishops of Uganda have released their Easter Message (2024) in which they have asked Christian believers and all Ugandans to embrace peace, reconciliation, and respect for human rights and dignity of all persons.

"Brothers and Sisters, may we use this Easter season to reflect more on our personal lives and ask ourselves whether we are part of the ills. If indeed we are, let us abandon these evils and unjust ways and embrace peace, reconciliation, honesty in all our dealings, and respect for human rights and dignity of all persons.

May we love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34) so that we may prosper as a nation and inherit the Kingdom of heaven."

The Easter message of the Prelates was delivered by their Chairman, the Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Antony Zziwa during a press conference at the Uganda Catholic Secretariat, Nsambya on Saturday (March 30, 2024).

Below is the message in full.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! Let us Rejoice and Be Glad.

Easter is a special event in Our Christian faith. It is the celebration of or faith in the risen Lord. It is the day we ponder the opportunity God has given us to encounter him so that we may experience what awaits those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, that is, Eternal Life (Rev. 7:14).

Easter is the culmination of the Lenten period where, through fasting, prayer and alms-giving, we re-enact, relive and partake in the pains and sufferings that Christ endured for our inequities. Lent offers us the opportunity to turn away these inequities and embrace a new life in the risen Christ. As Pope Francis echoed in his Lenten message of 2022, “Lent is a favourable time for personal and community renewal, as it leads us to the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Brothers and Sisters, the Easter season is an invitation to a new way of life, a time to search our souls individually and collectively in our families, communities and country. It is the time to ask hard questions; whether we will continue to cling to our sinful ways or return fully to Christ. This is a gratuitous call to holiness.

The essence of this call is that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Dt. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Mt. 22:37-39; Mk 12:29-31). As Christ said, all the law and prophets hang on these two commandments (Mt. 22:40; Mk.12:31).

Looking at our society and country today, we continue to ask whether, indeed, the love of God and neighbor has taken root in our lives and relationships. Our society and country today manifest evils that contradict this cardinal rule, and the spirit of the resurrection and the common values enshrined in our national constitution.

On a daily basis, the people of Uganda struggle to deal with violence at home, community and state; plunder and theft of public resources by individuals  in positions of responsibility at the expense of public goods such as health and education; violation of the rights and dignity of children, women, and men by elements within the state and community; growing cases of divorce, infidelity and separation among married couples; and sexual indiscipline among believers and non-believers.  St. Paul warns us that people who live this way cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21).

We are even more concerned about the rising tendencies of xenophobia in our country.

We understand this is stemming from injustice orchestrated by some segments of our society due to corruption, discrimination, suppression of freedoms and violation of human rights. This has created a wide gap between the rich and the poor, disillusionment for millions of Ugandans, and a perverse culture of cheating and dishonesty in the Ugandan society. The condition of the poor is worsened by high cost of living, lack of profitable market for agricultural produce for the peasants, and low farm productivity due to factors such as climate change and pests and diseases.

Furthermore, persons who steal from public coffers have created a superficial class in society where the majority are excluded and condemned to poverty and deprivation. Unless this trend is checked, the country could easily slip into a revenge mentality targeted at some social, economic, and political groups. Both injustice and revenge are, of course, contrary to the spirit of the resurrection, for in the Risen Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, for all are created in the image of God and are redeemed by Christ. (Gal. 3:28; Gen 1:27; Rom 5:1).

Brothers and Sisters, may we use this Easter season to reflect more on our personal lives and ask ourselves whether we are part of the ills we have pointed out above. If indeed we are, let us abandon these evil and unjust ways and embrace peace, reconciliation, honesty in all our dealings, and respect for human rights and dignity of all persons. May we love one another as Christ has loved us (Jn.13;34) so that we may prosper as a nation and inherit the Kingdom of heaven.

Rt. Rev. Joseph Antony Zziwa
Chairman of Uganda Episcopal Conference
Bishop of Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese
Saturday 30th March, 2024, Kampala.