By Nicole Precel and Michael Fowler
In a year of extreme floods, war and a pandemic, faith leaders are sharing a heartening message; “never give up hope”.
Australians are set to celebrate Passover, Easter, Ramadan and many other religious festivals this weekend.
About 1000 Christians took part in the Good Friday ‘Stations of the Cross’ walk outside St Patrick’s Cathedral.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Anglican Archbishop Philip Freier said at Easter, in particular, Christians confront the world-changing reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
“Even in the affairs of nations, there is moral culpability for how people impact others. This is utterly clear in Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. No amount of misinformation or political spin can shield the actors in these world events from their moral responsibility or from God’s judgement,” he said.
“The clearing from our lives of extraneous things helps us take in the world-changing and life-changing reality of the Easter events – Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.”
Women of the cloth listen to a service and pray outside St Paul’s Cathedral after the Good Friday ‘Stations of the Cross’ walk.Credit: Chris Hopkins
He said we must call out moral and physical harm in any world conflict, but “we must admit that the same seeds of violence or cruelty lurk within each of us”.
“Let the Easter light of resurrection shine brightly in your soul, and may your mind be filled with that world-changing hope that Jesus brings. After all, as John 1:5 confirms, ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’,” he said.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasman, of the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation and president of the Rabbinical Association of Australasia, also shared a message of hope as he prepared to celebrate the first of eight days of Passover on Friday night.
“Passover carries a message of hope for a better future, reflecting on the devastating slavery Jews were subjected to for 210 years in Egypt, hoping and praying every day that a new dawn would arise – and it did. This gives us hope that a better tomorrow is possible,” he said.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasman of the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation.Credit: Eddie Jim
For seven or eight days, Jews will eat unleavened bread, called Matzoh, to symbolise how the Israelites didn’t have enough time to wait for it to rise.
A descendent of Holocaust survivors, Glasman said the community must be “grateful and appreciative that we live in a country which not only tolerates religious freedom but encourages it”.
“Notwithstanding all the negative experiences we have endured, we can still practise our faith and manifest it meaningfully in our synagogues and our homes,” he said.
He said he was hoping “for a peaceful year in which all Australians can participate peacefully in our vibrant democracy, reflecting the diverse plethora of values which form our views and make us all who we are”.
With the federal election campaign under way, it’s fitting Hare Krishna Reverend Albert Lange (Bhakta Dasa) and his community celebrated Sri Rama Navami Festival on Sunday.
“We are praying that those people who are searching for political power are also spiritually minded and concerned for the general public, irrespective of their faith and belief. This was exemplified by the 1000-year-old story of Lord Rama,” he said.
They’ve been praying for their devotees in Ukraine as well as sending Food for Life support.
“We are all brothers and sisters in God, and we start looking after one another. That we have an appreciation for the things we have and give thanks for the things we have.”
Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, arrives at St Patrick’s Cathedral for last year’s Easter Sunday Mass.Credit: Luis Ascui
Archbishop Peter Comensoli of the Catholic Archdiocese Melbourne, explained that on Good Friday Mary Magdalene, wrapped in grief and shock, went to the body of Jesus in the depths of night.
“What she encountered there was the dawn of the risen Jesus – a light that broke into her darkened life. As Mary reached the darkened tomb, she saw the emerging dawn, and she believed,” he said.
“The light of dawn also emerges for us, as the dark of night gives way to a new day. In the dawning light of the risen Jesus we, too, recognise a world reborn. He has patiently and lovingly waited for our eyes to see and our hearts to reach out to him. May we emerge from our own shadows, step forward, and hasten to the dawn of his resurrection and our re-creation.”
Imam Mohamed Mohideen said Muslims were in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, in which Muslims fast during the day. He said Ramadan was a time for reflection, a time for charity and to pray for peace and for those less fortunate.
A family eat at the table during the iftar, the meal after sunset during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.Credit: ROBINUTRECHT
“To look at various aspects of our lives, also self-discipline and trying to understand how best we can be better people at the end of the day,” he said.
He said it gave Muslims a moment to set aside to think about how best they could support the community.
He said they prayed for refugees in various wars, whether in Ukraine, Middle East, Palestine, Myanmar and the Rohingya, Burmese and the Uighur community.
“Right across the world there are people with a lot of hardship,” he said.
“Hope is always there. You never give up hope, if you give up hope the world is a dark place.”
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