PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka believes the message of Easter is powerful, and the values of sacrifice for the greater good, hope, renewal, and fresh beginnings transcends faiths, cultures and borders.
He urged Christians, to use this Holy Week and the Easter weekend to care for loved ones, both in the family and in the community.
He urged Fijians to “love your neighbours and friends, regardless of their faith or ethnicity”.
This was vital, he said, as Fiji continued to heal from years of division and the burden of a debt-ridden economy, as well as the challenges posed by drugs and the HIV epidemic.
In his Easter message, Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry urged members of the Coalition Government to practise humility and be sensitive to the needs of people.
The Coalition Government, he said, needed to dwell on such basic tenets of Christianity.
In saying that, we are reminded about this very important long weekend in the Christian calendar.
As we celebrate Easter, perhaps we should remind ourselves about priorities and the many challenges we face daily. Perhaps this is an opportune time to consider the plight of our fellow citizens in need.
May we all be happy and merry, but let us be mindful of the fact that there are some among us who are still struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis.
The message of sacrifice is meant for all of us.
Let us never forget how fragile life is and why we should value it. Without a doubt there are many people who see this important occasion in the Christian calendar as something other than what it was meant for.
There are many people who do not know and appreciate the significance of Easter.
Many will never spare a thought for what it means to Christians.
That’s why we have always suggested that people need to appreciate who we are as people living together in a multi-racial country.
We are not immune to the sufferings of the world, and to the troubles that affect us all.
Yet here we are, living in relative harmony, far removed from the volatile countries of the world. We reflect on the immense suffering in the Gaza where the Palestinians and Israel have attacked each other, with thousands killed along the way!
We reflect on the thousands of people killed in the war between Ukraine and Russia, and we reflect on wars in our history, where millions died because of disagreements. Wars were fought because of the colour of the skin, ethnicity, differences in ideas, hunger for power and for many other reasons.
Killing a fellow human being is never acceptable. It isn’t something we consider normal!
During Easter, we reflect on humanity, and the message of hope that is highlighted in biblical text.
We consider love for one another, embracing understanding, and appreciation of our differences.
We live in a very special country where the majority of people have long embraced such differences. We have celebrated birthdays together, participated in religious festivals together, we live side by side with neighbours of different ethnicities and religion, and celebrated many special events together over the years. Value must be placed on that also!
