Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is the perfect time to refocus ourselves and look to ways in which we can better serve God and open our hearts to him.
Lent is a journey. It is the time in which we prepare for Easter. But what does it mean to ‘prepare’? First and foremost, we prepare by nurturing and growing our relationship with God. Therefore, that goal then opens up the question, ‘So how do we do that?’
During Lent we are encouraged to do three things: pray, fast and give alms. One aspect of almsgiving is service. We are called to re-examine our relationship with justice as we are called to participate in charity. In the Old Testament, the prophets spoke constantly about the need to look after those in need;
‘Care for the stranger who is in your midst’ (Leviticus 19:34)
Jesus’ life and works also testified to the need to be fair and just in our dealings with others and Paul also spoke about discrimination in his letter to the Galatians;
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (Gal 3:28)
Last Thursday was World Day of Social Justice. Lent is the perfect time to focus on our individual efforts in social justice. So what can we do to advocate for social justice?
There are many ways we can act to bring fairness and justice into our world. Here’s a few ideas:
