Easter a time for selfless love

Editorial

THIS week was marked the holiest on the Christian calendar.
This time of the year, millions of Christians the world over remember and celebrate the death and resurrection of the Saviour.
Through the passion, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ fulfilled the promised redemption from sin of the descendants of Adam and Eve.
Redemption also heralds change for the better, which is a good commitment to make for the faithful on this special day.
Devout Christians, of course, pay homage to the sequence of events in which their faith is both founded and infused with spiritual meaning.
His sacrifice by the cruel method of state crucifixion and his forgiveness of his persecutors and call for mercy toward them — his followers believe — redeemed humanity of its sins, including those who killed him for declining to conform to religious and legal doctrine prevailing in the Roman province of Judaea.
It is the greatest demonstration of selfless love, something which is tragically lacking even among professed adherents of the Christian faith.
What we lack is the simple living of that love.
Easter Celebrations focus on the earthly life, passion and suffering, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus which are also our human experiences.
The Easter celebrations focus our attention on ourselves to be like Jesus whose ultimate focus is on the good and wellbeing of others rather than on himself.
Easter is therefore a time to reflect the central message of the gospel – selfless love.
What a difference it would make, if we become less concerned about ourselves and more about our neighbour.
The gospel has been preached throughout the length and breadth of PNG, what is incumbent upon believers is a simple believing of the gospel message.
The nation can certainly use positive changes.
The Prime Minister in his Easter message reminds us of the unique contribution that Christian Churches make to our nation through education and training, healthcare, family life support, and local leadership, as well as the commitment by clergy, and all church workers.
The partnership between the National Government and the Churches recognises just how important the work of the churches is in delivering basic services.
Some say Easter is a time for family gatherings and a time to recognise the renewal of something new.
Many of us, whatever our beliefs, will spend the weekend celebrating life.
But it is worth taking a moment today to consider the deeper meaning of Easter.
All of us suffer in life in some way. For others, suffering is personal but no less profound: the death of a loved one, a divorce or concerns about how to put food on the family table.
Suffering isn’t something to seek. It is simply something we cannot avoid.
And for those without the power or means to change their circumstances — a sick person without health insurance or someone with a sick child — it is belittling at best, and heartless at worst, to suggest they embrace their suffering as an exercise in spiritual growth.
Growth comes only through an individual’s understanding of his or her own suffering. For some, it will take a lifetime.
The love and compassion of those around us is the best nourishment that growth will get. When all is said and done, we suffer; we celebrate; we live together.
And on Easter, we mark the cycle of life and death and life again, knowing that joy and pain are its inevitable shoots.
We endure and we rejoice, and we remember once more that we can renew and begin again.