Today, on Ash Wednesday, begins the Lent season, a time in which we as Christians are called to prayer and reflection, so that we may approach the holy Easter with hearts made pure and filled with gratitude. Just as Jesus offered himself in sacrifice for humanity, we too are invited to set aside feelings of pride, greed, resentment and arrogance, so that we may truly listen to our brothers and sisters and to their needs.
Guiding us into the spirit of reflection that will accompany us throughout these forty days are the meditations written by the two Co-Presidents of Pax Christi International, Sister Wamuyu Wachira and Bishop Colin Bagaforo. Both invite us to allow ourselves to be transformed by God’s faithful love, rediscovering the power of prayer as a path to authentic conversion and translating our faith into concrete acts of peace.
Sister Wamuyu’s reflection encourages us to embrace Lent as a time to place our trust in God. Even when our prayers seem to go unanswered, like the apostles who fished all night and caught nothing, we are called to persevere in faith and hope. In the same way, peacebuilders in a world devastated by conflict and hatred are urged to continue proclaiming their message of love. In doing so, we journey towards an Easter of joy, following the One who, “unarmed and disarming”, overcame death in order to grant us eternal life.
Read Sister Wamuyu’s reflection here
Bishop Colin’s reflection reminds us that today marks not only the beginning of Lent, but also the holy month of Ramadan for our brothers and sisters of the Muslim faith. This occasion, therefore, calls us to experience together this time of fasting and prayer, opening our eyes together to our neighbour, especially the poor and the forgotten.
Christianity and Islam walk in fraternity, founded on similar principles of peace: peace that cannot be separated from care for creation or love for others. Both the Bible and the Qur’an teach us to look upon our earth and its inhabitants with charity, walking together in the building of trust, justice, dialogue, and shared responsibility.
May this time and this shared observance make all of us a living prayer, “a prayer lived through fraternity, compassion and care for our common home.”
Leave A Comment