As 2019 ends and people get ready to usher in 2020, clerics have called upon Rwandans to take time to reflect on the outgoing year, be thankful to God, as well as looking at what they have not done right and correct it. The clerics made the remarks during interviews with Sunday Times on Saturday. Bishop Philippe Rukamba, the president of the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in Rwanda said that 2020 should be a year where people work for peace in families, and at national level “The first message is the message of peace. A good year is a year of love, living well with each other; and having peace in homes and in the whole country,” he said. “There should be understanding that peace is important for the development of people. If peace does not exist, people are not secure, and there are difficulties. Peace is a blessing of the Lord. When a country has peace, it is blessed,” he said. Bishop Fidèle Masengo of Four Square Church Kigali called for thankfulness to God, and reflection on people’s individual lives so that what they have not done well they will correct as the New Year begins. “Let people reflect on what has happened during the outgoing year as it ends. Many times people take the end of the year and the beginning of a new one as a usual thing; however, it is a time to reflect on what they had to do in their spiritual life, what they had to do for the country, and their families, ” he said. Masengo urged that Christians should look to God and thank Him for what He has done, starting from the “miracle of still being alive,” “We have seen a lot that God has done. Though we don’t have all we prayed for, but we can say that He has done good things. Sometimes he gave us what we did not even pray for. The fact that someone is still living is a miracle for thanking God. We should not look far to see miracles, our own lives are miracles.” Masengo said that 2020 is a year to run with vision, moving in an intimate relationship with God. Sheikh Salim Hitimana, the Mufti of Rwanda said the year 2020 should be one of “milk and honey,” “a year of many opportunities,” and one of looking back and assess the targets that people wanted to achieve, “Let everyone continue to think, and remember the direction that we gave ourselves for sustainable development. We all have to play a role towards development,” he said, as he urged Rwandans to love one another and observe security. Pastor Christophe Sebagabo of Calvary Revival Church emphasised the need for gratitude as the year ends. “I advise Rwandans to thank God. God has worked, though people in their hearts and minds are always looking at what did not go well, yet there are many things that went well,” he said. “For the Christians that lost loved ones, they should know that they went back to God from whom they came. Let us enter the year by drawing close to God, thanking, and praying,” he said. Sebagabo is organising a big prayer gathering on the night of 31st December at Dove Hotel in Kigali, and he urged people on the importance of entering the New Year as they draw closer to God.
