MANY non-Christians sent me Ash Wednesday greetings. I was surprised by their thoughtfulness.
As Malaysians from a multicultural and multireligious nation, we should take the trouble to familiarise ourselves with the practises and religious celebrations of others. This knowledge will help us better understand and accept one another in the course of our lives.
Ash Wednesday heralds the beginning of the Holy season of Lent in the Christian calendar. This year the season of Lent began on Feb 22 (Ash Wednesday). Christians throughout the world will observe Lent for 40 days, leading to Easter celebrations on April 9.
Ash Wednesday is a reminder of how one day we will return to dust, as written in the Scriptures “from dust we came and to dust we will return”.
On this day, services are held in church and the priest marks the sign of the cross on the forehead of believers with ash. Many Christians will observe prayer, fasting and alms-giving during this period.
Some of the traits in the Madani concept unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are also reflected in the values observed by Christians.
We should be caring, kind, compassionate, respectful and charitable towards others as encompassed in the Madani concept.
Psychologists say that if you do something continuously, it becomes a habit. Hopefully, these positive traits will remain within us even after the season of Lent.
Samuel Yesuiah
Seremban
