Lent, courage to stand up against evil.
Today we commemorate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. To many Ash Wednesday is another day for rituals - fast, abstinence, attending mass and imposition of ashes on their foreheads. While there is nothing wrong with these practices but Ash Wednesday is much more than these rituals.
Today it is so difficult to live a good and decent life in an environment of so much evil. Evil seem to be so powerful and we seem to be helpless watching it triumph over good. Very often we too succumb to the temptations of such evils which are deep rooted everywhere. With our rituals we are not going to win over evil engulfing us. We can only defeat evil by our courage to stand up to it, a courage that is so lacking in us.
This courage is obtained from the the examples shown by Jesus himself as he prepared to face his unjust persecution and death on the cross. He himself gained that courage from the Father and used fasting to strengthen him to fight the evil that even put him to death on the cross.
As Christians we too are faced with evil influences everywhere and we need great courage to live a righteous life in such a hostile environment where greed, wealth and injustice rule.
On this day let us pray for that courage in our hearts to face own trials and tribulations. Let us ask God to give us the courage to stand up where many are failing.
Our courage to stand up will soon be tested in the coming 14GE.Will we have the courage to say NO to wrong and YES to right?
Have a blessed and meaningful Lent
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