The period of Lent served as an opportunity for deep reflection in preparation for Holy Week and the culminating joyful event of Easter Sunday.

This is the season when one should have a heightened consciousness of the spiritual dimension. It is a time to recognise what separates us from God.

Unfortunately, such an exercise is becoming more and more arduous. Like the rest of Europe, Malta is being buffeted by the wave of secularism that upholds values that are purely utilitarian, promoting relativism under the guise of enlightened tolerance, scoffing at any reference to the sacred and which considers the pursuit and attainment of pleasure as the ultimate aim in life.

To compound matters, the constant worries and concerns of everyday life consume most of our energies, leaving us with hardly any time for quiet reflection. Our modern lifestyle leaves us drained by the end of the day. We fail to realise how self-centred and egoistic we allow ourselves to become, constantly grumbling and worrying about real and perceived problems that seem to present themselves with relentless persistence and regularity.

This year, the intense election campaign and its aftermath undoubtedly contributed to deflect our attention from the purpose of Lent and the spirit of Easter even further. Too many of us tend to be carried away by an exaggerated and unrealistic faith in politics and politicians. It is so easy to forget the true reality of our human condition and admit that the world does not give us the answers that really count.

The thirst for significant religious experience is characteristic for many today. This is reflected in our deep yearning for truth, for goodness, for beauty and our search for love, justice and happiness. This reality can be seen by the enthusiasm and intensity with which so many of us are concerned about the environment, the safeguarding of life and the promotion of fair play in the public sphere.

This is the mystery of Easter. It is a time of renewal and hope. This is expressed so clearly in the public ceremonies that take place throughout Malta and Gozo during Holy Week. All these liturgical events draw our attention to the redemptive element of Christ's selfless love for mankind. That love that manifests itself in so many ways and under different circumstances throughout our whole life but which we often fail to fully understand, more often than not preferring to sing the praises of our own abilities or that of others.

The opportunity offered to us by Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter is a clarion call for Christians and people of goodwill to shed their narrow perspectives and work together so as to render the "kingdom" of the Lord's Prayer a possible reality. It is an invitation for us to pray and intensify our relationship with God so that we can have renewed energy in striving to build with energy, patience and commitment a society worthy of Man.

In a positive way, the religious and political commitments converge. God's redemptive love cannot be associated with a society that invokes isolation, xenophobia, egoism, avarice and disregard for our natural habitat.

With the looming dangers of climate change, water and energy scarcity, escalating costs of cereals, environmental degradation and so many other apparently intractable ills, the need for solidarity and goodwill are as relevant as ever.

One hopes that the remembrance of the Passion of Our Lord and the redemptive message of Easter will be more than skin deep and not just evaporate after the external ceremonies and celebrations are over. Now, maybe more than ever before, we have to translate love of God with commitment to the welfare of our neighbour.

Otherwise, Holy Week and the joy of Easter will be just a transient experience unworthy of a nation that professes to be loyal to its Christian tradition and vocation.