The annual Lenten period that will lead us towards the celebration of Easter commenced last Wednesday following a noisy six-day carnival celebration. Lent can be a truly inspiring period, inviting us to take a good look at ourselves and address aspects in our lives that might require some adjustment or improvement in terms of the values and beliefs we uphold as individuals and as a community.
Lent is also associated with fasting and abstinence. Many associate this with the consumption of food and alcohol such as not eating sweets until Easter Sunday. It is considered an act of self-denial intended to help the believer focus on his or her spiritual life through self-discipline, imitating Christ and performing acts of penance.
There is a tendency to engage in such practices in a very legalistic manner, sometimes also taking the opportunity to go on a much-needed diet after Christmas and in view of the summer months when we would all wish to be looking better.
I would like to humbly offer some suggestions on how to make Lent a more meaningful period.
When I was still in the active ministry, I used to recommend to people that, rather than, for example, not eating sweets, it would be preferable, for instance, to control their speech. Gossip seems to be a national hobby and I am sure our communities would be much better off were we to indulge less in idle talk, particularly about the private and personal lives of others.
On the other hand, individuals might wish to be less keen to share anything or everything that is happening to them on the social media. We expect others to respect our personal lives yet we then seem to want to tell the whole world how we are feeling and what we are doing, sometimes using words or expressions that are best kept private.
Why should I be interested that so and so has checked into Malta International Airport, travelling to Malaysia? I find it absurd, yet also amusing, that an individual would want to publicly tell his or her partner of his or her undying love, providing us with intimate details such as the nicknames the couple use as an expression of affection. When individuals publicise their personal and private lives, they are exposing themselves to being spoken about and, sometimes, even ridiculed. Thus, if we would like less gossip, then I suggest that people keep their personal lives private.
For elected officials, Lent may be an opportunity to re-examine the oath they swore upon assuming office: to faithfully and conscientiously perform their duties without fear or favour
Related to this is also the need for greater respect for the value of the truth. In this age of ‘fake news’, the truth no longer seems to matter at all. The truth has become some elastic concept I can bend at will to suit my purposes. I would suggest revisiting the Archbishop’s homily on Independence Day last year and his reference to ‘truthfulness’ as a transcendental value as well as its link with the values of fairness, right judgement and justice.
Another suggestion would be in the exercise of self-discipline when it comes to our disregard for the needs of others. How many times are we stuck in traffic because a person has decided to double-park outside a pharmacy or convenience store rather than having to walk a few metres from their car to the outlet? Disregard for traffic regulations is a strong indication of the selfish attitudes of many drivers who just don’t give a hoot about the inconvenience they cause others.
A lack of concern for the protection of the environment should also be part of our personal and national examination of conscience. Apart from the greed of the few in their attempt to permanently destroy what remains of our natural landscape, it is also a common phenomenon for individuals to, for instance, appropriate public property for their own personal enjoyment or for commercial purposes.
This newspaper has recently raised the issue of the many hawkers who set up their stalls wherever they like. Leaving aside the whole issue of whether this is fair to traders who pay their licences and operate within the parameters of existing rules and regulations, stalls set up in prominent spots such as outside City Gate often also make the entire country look like a bazaar – ugly, dirty and untidy.
Citizens have a right to enjoy the natural and cultural landscape in an unhindered manner. In this case not only is greater self-discipline needed by those who simply take the law into their own hands but also by the authorities who are there to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens and ensure the rule of law. How often do the authorities, even local councils, turn a blind eye because they are not ready to shoulder their responsibilities? For elected officials, Lent may be an opportunity to re-examine the oath they swore upon assuming office: to faithfully and conscientiously perform their duties without fear or favour.
A further suggestion I offer relates to the pre-electoral period we find ourselves in right now. Although the general election may not yet be round the corner, we are practically in an electoral campaign. Actually, we never seem not to be in an electoral campaign. As a result, we tend to interpret whatever happens in a partisan manner. In my view, this is detrimental to the democratic life of our country, particularly since it appears to stifle the voice of civil society. Hence, my appeal would be to individuals to be less gullible and to use their own brain rather than allowing others to make them believe whatever suits their purposes. And, while on this subject, why not try putting an end to labelling all and everyone as red, blue, green, orange or whatever?
Incidentally, ‘labelling’ is also becoming common in Church circles where I am seeing an increasing dose of intolerance that is manifesting itself through the social media in particular. Therefore, my appeal here would be that before placing burdens on others, pastoral operators in particular, one must practise what one preaches.
I look forward to this time of the year and the opportunity it may provide us to hope for a rebirth of all that is intrinsically good, beautiful and true in each one of us.