On February 14, as some people celebrated love on Valentine’s Day, others were starting a season of prayer and fasting known as Lent, which lasts 40 days, not counting Sundays, and concludes three days before Easter Sunday.

The week before Easter Sunday is Holy Week, starting on Palm Sunday, and marks Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, receiving palm branches at his feet. ALSO READ: Focus: What is the meaning of Lent?

What does Lent mean to Rwandans?

Adelphine Uwonkunda, a member of the Parish of Regina Pacis in Remera, views Lent as 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. During this time, she sacrifices for others by donating items such as food or drinks, particularly for those who are vulnerable. She also spares time to visit patients in hospitals, or at home.

"This is a time to renew, increase and maintain a good relationship with my friends, and neighbours. It is a time to show love everywhere I go and imitate Jesus Christ our Saviour, who died on the cross to save us,” Uwonkunda said.

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She said this is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection on Easter, thus urging Christians to do good deeds just as Jesus did.

Fr Eugène Muhire Rwigilira, Vicar at Saint Michael Cathedral, Kigali, explains that lent means a lot.

"Lent prepares us for the celebration of the mystery of our salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the victory of life against death, the victory of good against evil. It’s a 40-day journey of repentance, and 40 is a symbolic number that means many things, like the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert where he was tempted but didn’t fall, and the 40-year journey that took the people of God from the country of slavery to the promised land,” he said.

Rwigilira observed that Lent is a period for Christians to step out of selfishness and victim mentality, and foster positive relationships with each other and God.

He explained that fasting helps believers understand the suffering of those who fast, not because they choose to but because life obliges them to do so, and it "leads us to help them. It assists us to be better persons because we can’t fast and get lost in wrongdoing.”

Rwigilira emphasised the importance of individuals fasting to refrain from sin, and set a good example for others, as simply avoiding food would not suffice if it does not lead to empathy for others’ suffering, aiding them, and deepening one’s connection to God.

He added that praying assists Christians to stand in the presence of God, obey Him as the Father, and remain obedient.

Rwigilira urges Christians to meditate on Isaiah 58:6-8 which states, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to lose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to shelter the poor wanderer— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”

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According to Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, the Archbishop of Kigali, the Lent period originates from the Gospel in the Bible, Luke 4:1-13, where Jesus Christ, before commencing his mission, spent 40 days fasting in the desert.

"This was the way of preparing Himself for the great mission He had come to do on earth, which is to save the people from the slavery of sin and death because sin leads to death. Sin separates the person from God who is the source of life and the person, who is away from God, is cut off from the source of life. Here we mean spiritual life but also it affects the biological and physical life because a healthy mind or soul requires a healthy body.”

Kambanda describes sin as a fruit of temptation, stressing that during the 40 days of fasting, Jesus was tempted and He overcame the temptation by the power of prayer and the word of God.

He noted that Jesus’ example is a way to teach Christians how to overcome temptation and avoid falling into sin.

"This is a journey of 40 days to Easter, we celebrate the victory of Jesus over death for us and our freedom from death.”

Catholic Church’s role in healing

Kambanda said that 30 years on, the Catholic Church has accompanied Christians in the process of reconciliation and peace.

"We have a commission of justice and peace, but also all aspects of our pastoral work contribute to unity and reconciliation. Right from the beginning, after the Genocide, the immediate action was the burial of the dead with dignity—and in a way—reconciliation with the dead at least to honour them as children of God created in the image of God. This also went with assisting the survivors who needed help in all necessities of life”, he said.

Kambanda mentioned that charitable acts, such as constructing homes for survivors, required mobilising the local community to assist in building walls, while the church provided iron sheets.

This was also a practical reconciliation as they united to solve problems. In the spirit of teamwork, credits were given for small trades with mutual guarantees, leading to the formation of various cooperatives.

He added that all these acts brought people together and rebuilt unity and trust among themselves despite their differences.

"During the Gacaca tribunals, we actively contributed to its success. Currently, our pastoral work in prisons and efforts to prepare ex-prisoners for community integration are ongoing.

Now, we are currently engaged in the memory purification process and historical reconciliation to achieve comprehensive reconciliation and resilience. In terms of healing, we prioritise spiritual healing through prayer, especially focusing on the sacrament of penance or reconciliation.”

Kambanda also highlighted that the church is developing pastoral counselling and integral reconciliation—this is reconciliation with God, with oneself and with others—which leads to healing, adding that reconciliation with oneself is reconciliation with one’s history and purification of the memory is the core of healing.

Fr Valens Niragire, the General Secretary of the Episcopal Commission of Justice and Peace (CEJP Rwanda), said the Catholic Church in Rwanda is preparing to mark the 30th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi through CEJP’s set of activities scheduled.

He outlined various activities, including an awareness campaign against genocide ideology and denial. This initiative aims to cover all districts and educate the population about the laws combating genocide denial and ideology.

"Another activity is the preparation of the population to receive the prisoners ending their penalty. Different activities are scheduled for this so that across parishes, people are prepared to welcome these prisoners and journey together for reconciliation and resilience,” he noted.

Niragire also mentioned that another planned activity involves training religious leaders and priests to engage in active and psychotherapeutic discussions. This training will support pastors in better accompanying the population in the healing process of the wounds caused by Genocide.

The Catholic Church will also join all Rwandans in other activities scheduled to mark this commemoration, he stated.