The Season of Lent and the role of Christians

Fr. Indra R. Fernando

LENT: Ash-Wednesday opened the Season of Lent with the annual ritual of the distribution of Holy Ashes in the form of a cross uttering the words “Dust thou art - and to Dust thou shall return.”

As these words penetrate deep into our souls we are revived and strengthened to cope with the various rituals to survive the Lenten period of 40 days getting nearer and nearer to the Lord contemplating on the passion of Christ - the vigorous sufferings of Our Lord Jesus. The ‘40 concept’ derives from the sacred scriptures.

Flood during the time of Noah (Gen. 7/4)

Moses coming from Sinai (Ex. 24/18)

People of Israel were in the desert for forty years (Dt. 29/5)

Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days (Mk. 1/13)

The Lenten period begins on a very melancholy and low note and leads us on-one step at time from the Garden of Gethsemane, high up to Mount Calvary - where our Lord Jesus gave up His life to save us all and open the gates of Heaven to is all.

However, the Liturgical year has so wonderfully planned to end the Season with the majestic Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. A glorious incident of rejoicing. Hosanna to the Lord - Alleluia the Lord is Risen. Lent is preparing for Easter.

Hence the Lenten Season begins with the distribution of Holy Ashes and ends with the mysterious but ecstatic Resurrection on Easter Sunday. “Let us rejoice for the Lord has risen to give us eternal life.”

In the course of this period of Lent the Church prepares the faithful emphasising on the importance of vivid religious exercises such as fasting, and other acts of mortification, prayer, stations of the cross retreats or seminars and the like. These rituals are accomplished with great enthusiasm during this period.

Prayer - as we Christians know and believe is speaking to God - building up a rapport with God a relationship between our Heavenly Father and us all his devoted and faithful Children.

During the Lenten Season we should spend a few extra moments with the Lord making amendments mending up fences for the mistakes we have been proned into: We should try to rationalise the fact that the weight of the crosses we beat from time to time are trivial in comparison to the weight borne by our Lord on the road to Calvary.

We should ask the Lord to help us at least to minimize the number of offences rather than to try total exhaustion. The Lord is aware of our weaknesses. We should continuously implore for His help and guidance.

Yes - Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Fasting is also an act of mortification. It is a profitable exercise that should be practiced by all the faithful who are eligible and fit to do so. The Holy Bible states that our Lord Jesus Christ fasted and prayed for 40 days.

As a result of this gesture our Lord Jesus gathered strength and courage to pursue with the paschal mystery in spite of all the hardships. Fasting is depriving one’s self from the normal routine of life basically the intake of meals.

The Church allows just one full meal for the day. This venture enables us to feel the pain of hunger link it to the sufferings of the Lord and further combine it to the pain of hunger experienced by the less fortunate folk.

Such incidents should inculcate in us a melting heart towards the less fortunate and increase our love towards our neighbours. Fasting necessarily need not be controlling our food habits vices coherent to us, like for example Excessive desire for clothes, cosmetics, indulging in entertainments such as the cinema and Television.

Similar luxurious desires should be give way to help the needy and the poor. In the long run the result of mortification leads to the love of our neighbour. The sacrifices we make increases our love towards others and thus please our Lord. The Lord say’s what so unto me. Further the Lord say’s “When I was hungry, thirsty, homeless, weary, sick - aged you cared for me - Now enter into the home of my father.”

The Stations of the Cross is a very devout and enhancing exercise that knits us very closely with the passion of Christ. From each station to station we trudge along carrying the Cross with our Lord and experiencing the nefarious activities of the cruel Jews incurred on our Lord Jesus.

This activity helps us to detest and abhor sin. While participating on this rigid journey let us exult in one voice “Jesus Lord I ask for mercy - Let me not implore in vain, All my sins I now detest them - Never will I sin again.”

Last but not the least of the activities is the participation by listening attentively and absorbing the contents of the Homilies presented through seminars and retreats during this Holy Season, the manner in which they ministers deliver the precepts to the faithful is highly commendable.

They link the passion of Christ to our Daily routine of life so miraculously that we are taken up from this earthly abode and carried directly to the foot of the Cross. We should all endeavour to participate in this activity and cry out loudly” I surrender all - To Thee my Blessed Saviour I surrender all.”

Conclusion:

In weighing the pros and cons of the Lenten Season let us resolve to spend Lent in 2007 in a very fruitful manner. Let it be a challenge to the life we’re spent so far and let every sacrifice great or small make the Lord happy.

The Lord awaits our arrival with open arms. We should march forward step by step and ultimately reach the foot of the Cross and cling tightly to it by the end of the 40th day and Rejoice.

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Let my people awake

(a Psalm for Lent):

Where People live in harmony
With malice toward none but charity towards all,
Where hatred gives place to love and Maithriya is the norm of life,
Where the game of politics is played with fairness to all communities,
Where everyone’s dignity is affirmed and no one’s pride is hurt,
Where suicide bombers claim no more lives,
Where terrorism and the culture of death and
violence give place to a ivilization of love,
Where the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka
is not fragmented by partisan politics,
Where election promises are kept,
Where the leaders speak the truth in love,
Where religious harmony prevails,
Where the art of dialogue gives place to the rhetoric of war,
Where consensus is preferred to confrontation,
Where our people live as itizens of one nation under one flag...
Into that Sri Lanka Paradise with Liberty and Justice for all
let my people awake.

Father George B. Perera

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Forbidding oppression in Islam

M.Y.M. Meeadh

Islam always presents peace to all in the world. It never advocates violence or terrorism. Allah guides mankind by commanding them to follow the Path of Islam in order to lead a peaceful life. Allah’s messenger Prophet Muhammad (Sal), was sent to this Universe as a mercy from God.

So, the Prophet (Sal) also propagated a way of life devoid of violence and oppression.

Let us quote a prophetic tradition to substantiate the concept of peaceful life according to Islam.

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (Rali) from the Prophet (Sal) - is that among the sayings he relates from his Rabb (Lord) is that He said: “O my slaves, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another.

O my slaves, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you. O My Slaves, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, So seek food of Me, and I shall feed you, O My slaves! all of you are naked except for those I have clothed so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you.

O my Slaves, you commit sin by night and day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you, O My Slaves, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me.

O My Slaves were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of anyone man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything.

O My Slaves, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked heart of anyone man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything.

O My Slaves, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were to give everyone what she requested, that would not decrease what I have, anymore than a needle decreases the sea if put into it.

O My Slaves - it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him who find, good, praise Allah and let him who funds other than that blame no one but himself”.

Therefore, all Muslims should be determined to give up oppression of others as Allah and His prophet teach only peace, tolerance and love to be the qualities of every human being.

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Islam is the complete way of life

Zahrina Careem

Islam is an all-embracing way of life. It extends over the entire spectrum of life showing how to conduct all human activities in a sound and wholesome manner. It does not allow a hierarchy of priests or intermediaries between God and human beings, no far fetched abstractions, and no complicated rites and rituals.

Everybody can readily understand the Al-Quran and follow the footsteps of Prophet (may Allah’s peace be upon him) to the best of his or her ability, assured by Allah that He will accept from each soul just such duty as it has the ability to offer.

“On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.” (Al-Quran 2:286)

When we read the Al-Quran or the prophetic traditions, we find instructions, in all aspects of life, political, social, economics, material, ethical, national and international. These instructions provide us with all the details needed to perform a certain act.

The prophetic traditions go as far as showing us all the steps we need to follow even how to use the toilet: Supplications upon entering it and leaving it, which hand to use in order to clean ourselves, and so on. In a word, Islam governs a Muslim’s life in all its aspects. This is the reason why it is not only a religion but also a way of life.

Islam does not recognise any kind of separation between religion and life. It openly rejects the Western thinking. Everything should be dedicated to God alone, and a Muslim is required to submit himself completely to the Will of Allah in all his affairs:

“Say: ‘Truly, my prayer, my sacrifice. My living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. No partner has He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who submit to His will.” (Al-Quran 6:162, 163)

Islam does not believe in wishful thinking. It clearly states that righteous conduct must be followed by belief in Allah. The Al-Quran says:

“For those who believe and work deeds of righteousness is a reward that will never (fail)” (Al-Quran 41:8)

“Those who believe and work righteousness, joy is for them and blissful place of (final) return.” (Al-Quran 13:29)

An extract from: A Glimpse at the Beauty of Islam

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Images for contemplation and External worship

Prof. Pon. Sakthivel

Continued from last week

This is the second obstacle to religious life. An images is necessary to impress this thought Saivaism has prescribed such an image and has called it Veerabhadra.

Having overcome the assertion I-ness and My-ness, man is able to devote himself to the uninterrupted and single-minded worship of God, and now wants to submit to God for his guidance and control. he stands pledged to implicit obedience and discipline as before a Guru.

The fifth partial image that he is therefore that of a guru. This image is named Subrahmanya. It is more comprehensive the even Nadaraja, because it represents the guru as well as God. It has six faces which represent respectively the lordship of the universe and the five great acts of God.

Creation of bodies sustenance, destruction, counter-action of worldliness and the illumination of the soul. It has twelve hands symbolizing various attributes. One of these holds a javelin which is the symbol of pure knowledge.

The Siva Linga is an amorphous image. It resembles a pillar and represents the spiritual flame that destroys all ignorance and enlightens the soul. Being synthetic in form, it is suited to the worship of more advanced souls.

The images mentioned above are so complex that people of inferior mental powers cannot grasp their meaning such people must be provided with simple symbols of which two specimens used by givites are given below.

One of these is the trident. Its three branches represent the live of gifts of God. Two branches representing two each and the third representing one. The main part of it symbolises God himself. This is very simple image both for external worship and for mental worship.

The second is the sacred ashes. This represents the love of God. Fire has burnt cow dung removed is impurities and has changed it to a beautiful form.

So the love of God nullifies the power of Anave and makes the should divine. When a worshipper wears sacred ashes on the forehead must feel that Love of God is on him and cultivate the habit of avoiding deeds that are unworthy of one who wears the Love of God. Besides as he puts on the ashes, he repeats songs in praise of the Love of God which heighten the feeling and has changed it to a beautiful form.

Concluded