Spirit of Lent

Harian Metro yesterday reported that a church in Johor Bahru WILLINGLY AND WITHOUT ANY CONDITION offered RM2000 to a single mother to help her only daughter pay for university fees. It was reported that the mother, who practices Islam faith had gone to several places like Baitulmal and Pusat Zakat Negeri to ask for help as she was unable to pay for her daughter's fee.

Unfortunely she was turned down by her own people of same faith!

As she sat at a bus stop crying, a man came forward and asked what had happened. She relate her story to this man who had then brought her to a church to seek for help. The priest, after listening to her plight, gave her a cheque amounting to RM2000, with no obligations whatsoever.

Now, this is what I called the spirit of Alms-Giving. And this is what the Season of Lent is all about - Helping another person regardless of their faith and religion.

This is Christ's teaching to us (Matthew 25: 35 - 36, 40):

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.... "

"The King will reply, 'Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me... "


And when someone is doing good to others out of their own free will and with no strings attached, it is not right for us to make speculations or find ulterior motives behind the gesture. After all, we are only practising what our faith had taught us to do...

Please do not mistake the help as an intention to lure away other people of different faith ....