Yesterday was Good Friday, the symbolic day in our calendar when we mark the day on which Jesus Christ died on the crucifix for our salvation.

As do many other nations around the world, we mark this period in time as Lent. A time where we make sacrifices such as food and other treats we would normally indulge in. Many do not eat meat on Fridays for the whole period, it is a time when the country shows its devotion to our Lord. Last night, many parishes marked the crucifixion of our Lord with somber processions and tomorrow, Easter Sunday, will see scenes of jubilation as the living Christ emerges from many a church around the islands of Malta and Gozo.

Easter has long been part of our tradition. But more than simply remembering that the Lord gave up his life for our own, we should delve deeper and sift through the doctrine and processions to find a more profound sense of self.

What do we mean? In the past days, a particular case arose whereby a young mother abandoned her newborn baby. At first, the reaction was one of sheer shock, amazement and perhaps anger. When details began to emerge, you could hear the toning down of the arguments in the street. While one feels that this mother was under severe duress or worry, we will not delve into possible details of why she acted in the manner she did. What is certain is that a mother’s natural instinct is to protect and rear her child, so something must have been affecting her drastically for recourse to the plan she implemented.

One might wonder if this is off tack. We assure you it is not. The Lord and the bible tell us to forgive those who have trespassed against us and to lead us not into temptation. The way we should treat this mother binds these two phrases very closely. She was led into temptation, for whatever reason, and succumbed to it. Yet the Lord tells us to forgive and offer a helping hand to those in need.

We can be a very judgmental society and for all our piety, we tend to lose the true values of what our faith is supposed to mean. Practicing our faith does not only mean going to mass and confession, it is a way of living. Tomorrow, we might all do well to take time to think about what our faith means to us and how we should employ it.

We have a new Archbishop that has reached out to all, not matter how far they have strayed from the flock. Some might obviously never return and that is their choice. But for those who have opted to return, and those who may have forgotten that we must live our religion and not simply go through the motions, this is the ideal time to reflect. Christ will rise from the dead tomorrow, Easter Sunday. We should remind ourselves of what he went through during the passion and what he gave up for the good of all mankind. We should at least show the respect by not only dedicating time to go through the doctrine, but also by living as Christ did, helping others, forgiving those who have done us wrong and not harbouring ill feelings or thoughts against others. This is also what Christ stands for, the very concept of humanity itself.