Orthodox Christians mark Easter under the cloud of COVID-19

COVID-19 | RELIGION 

KAMPALA - The Orthodox Christians in Uganda and all over the world have celebrated Easter.

They marked one of their faith's most important days on Sunday, April 18, a week after other Christians observed it. This is because they use the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar.

Just like their counterpart, this year's Easter will remain memorable to them. This is because they have observed it at their respective homes following the closure of places of worship including churches as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

In his message ahead of the celebrations, the Orthodox Archbishop of Kampala and All Uganda, Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga implored Ugandans to refrain from naughty behaviour amid fears resulting from deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

"As we fear and protect ourselves against the coronavirus evil, in the same way, we should keep away from all injustices, corruptness, and sins, putting on the two natures of Christ and the Christian virtues," Lwanga stated.

Adding, "We are celebrating the day of the Christian Passover, this year under the cloud of the Coronavirus disease. But what does Passover of Christ or Christian mean in this hymn? The Christian sou,l when it escapes from the spiritual land of evil, sin, and death back to the land of goodness and virtue, then it is celebrating the resurrection in Christ."

Citing Genesis 1:1-31, Lwanga asked Ugandans to appreciate that when God created all things from nothing unto existence, all creation was good.

"All evils, sin, and death are not creatures of the Good God. These characters came through satanic distortion of the principles," he noted.

"A Christian soul, that does not love the world more than God, that does not obey the Serpent more than God, it is in the process of being adopted as son or daughter of God, member of the kingdom of God."

Lwanga said coronavirus which has shaken the entire world and threatened mankind by death is merely one of the evils and sins reproduced in the life of men.

"The Word of God, the Father became man (perfect) in Christ Jesus, for the redemption of mankind from evil sin and death," Lwanga noted.

He added: "What is the origin of these malfunctioning elements or conditions in the life of men? The problem was and yet is difficult to have a solution by mankind itself without the divine revelation of God."

Lwanga observed that a "free will" function of the created (soul) when it functions in opposition to the will of the Uncreate (God), then a moral or ethical evil is produced and eventually, a physical evil can be reproduced from the ethical evil.
 
According to Lwanga, it is the formula that explains Satan, the Serpent, as the origin of evil, sin, and death.
 
Lwanga, however, decried Christians who have turned away from God.  "These days, it is not only the other deniers of Jesus but also most of the Christians themselves today in the world do not practice both the natures (godly - human) of Christ, neither Christian virtues, as much as possible," Lwanga noted.