My dear Brothers and Sisters,
By the time this letter gets to you, we would be in the season of Lent. As you well know, the season began on Ash Wednesday, when we received ashes on our foreheads to remind us of the end of our lives on this earth when we shall return to dust. The symbolism of this act by the Church is not so much a reminder about death which is inevitable, as it is about how we live our lives in preparation to meet God on judgement day.
In the prayer that our Lord Himself taught us, we pray that God would forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. There is perhaps no time in the Church’s calendar as during the season of lent, that we are so much called upon to reconcile with God and with one another or forgive others in order that we may receive pardon for our own sins. Our Bible quotation this month from Saint Paul in Ephesians 4:32, says “be kind and tender-hearted to one another and forgive one another as God has forgiven us through Christ”. The question to reflect on is, if the almighty God has forgiven us all our iniquities through Christ, then why can we not let go what we perceive to be offences committed against us by others?
It is saddening to see brothers and sisters of our fraternity being at loggerheads for weeks, months and years over non-issues. We have many examples in our Order of husbands and wives, both Marshallans, who cannot find any reference in the teachings of the Church or principles of our Order to settle their marital differences resulting in some even becoming arch enemies. Some of such Brothers and Sisters even refuse to care for their children when the children have nothing to do with their problems. In our Order, the loss of elections or failure to be nominated for elevations has sometimes created such venom in some Brothers and Sisters that they either stay away completely from the Order or develop deep unforgiving hearts towards those they perceive to be responsible for their situation. At all levels of our Order, the appreciation and understanding that people can have different opinions without malice, is lost on many. The result is that the mere expression of diverse opinion at a meeting can create for some, such unbelievable dislike that everything they do is held in contempt. If people who find themselves in such disdain should become leaders in the Order, it probably would not be surprising that some would actually pray that they fail. Fortunately God does not listen to such prayers!
My Brothers and Sisters, let us take advantage of this year’s Lenten season and in this era of “change”, “move forward” in our spirituality, purging ourselves of all inharmonious conditions so we can be better prepared to enjoy the fruits of Easter. Let us therefore, during this season, in the name of our Noble Order and our God, do a thorough search of our hearts, aided by the warning we receive at the beginning of our monthly meetings, make special efforts to let go all inharmonious conditions we hold against people, whether family, working colleagues, church, community or society members.
Once again, together with Saint Paul, I urge you to “be kind and tender-hearted to one another and forgive one another as God has forgiven us through Christ”. Amen.
Yours fraternally,
SIR KT BRO EDDIE PRAH
(SUPREME KNIGHT)