Time to Reflect the Teachings of Christ

This weekend Fiji will join the world to mark the East­er celebrations in honour of our Lord and Saviour.

It provides us an opportunity to reflect upon the teachings of Christ and emulate biblical val­ues to reshape our lives and make meaningful contributions towards the moral and social development of our society.

Our moral values are in a state of decay contributing to poor social patterns.

In these circumstances, the marking of Easter this year opens up the opportunity to seek divine intervention for a righteous life.

Easter is about making sacrifice of our ego over selfishness and shun the path of confrontation.

It is about seeking the word of God to attain love and peace, and be of service to our fellow beings.

There is no greater service we can do to God than to serve our fel­low beings to improve their lives and live a righteous and happy life.

The advent of Christianity is of special importance to the history and development of Fiji.

It introduced modernisation, linked us with the world, changed our geo-demography and socio-economic landscape, led to the evolution of customary law, insti­tutions and structures in Fiji and guided the indigenous people of Fiji through more than one revo­lution to place themselves in par with the rest of the world.

Therefore, Easter is more than a public holiday or religious event in our annual calendar.

It is about the celebration of the legacy of Christianity, Christian missionaries and the significant contributions they have made to the lives of the people of Fiji through guidance and develop­ment.

There is absolutely no doubt that Fiji continues to need that divine inspiration as we seek answers to our national and social problems.

The Church has a special place in our lives.

The philosophy and approach to seek solutions to our national is­sues and help rebuild a better Fiji for all our people by SODELPA is based on the biblical teachings in the universal context.

We wish to assure the nation that the word of God will continue to be our guiding light to establish a just government of righteous men and women dedicated to the ser­vice of the nation.

I join all the Honourable Mem­bers of the Opposition and Caucus staff to wish you all a safe, joyous and divine Easter holidays 2018.