On Ash Wednesday, Catholics began a forty-day spiritual preparation for their greatest feast, Easter, while this evening Muslims will perform the first tarawih prayer, marking the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. Our team set out to explore what this period of fasting, prayer and inner peace means for believers in the Orašje area.
A time of penance, fasting and devotion during Lent is a call to personal conversion and renewal of the heart. At a time when people are increasingly distant from one another, this period carries an even deeper message.
“It is important that we keep our hearts open to one another, because Lent, as a time of prayer, fasting and brotherly love, especially in the times we live in, directs us towards each other,” said Reverend Damir Ivanović, parish priest of the Parish of the Holy Name of Mary in Oštra Luka-Bok.
For Magdalena Mišković, a parishioner of the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Tolisa, acts of mercy and prayer are essential:
“It is a time when I try, through good deeds and above all through personal prayer, to draw closer to God and closer to my fellow human being.”
Alongside its penitential dimension expressed through various forms of sacrifice, acts of mercy and solidarity, this is also a time of intensified prayer. Lent should not be a period focused solely on oneself.
“Lent should leave a lasting mark throughout the entire year, that what we gain spiritually during this time becomes the fruit that shapes us in our later life,” Reverend Ivanović noted.
Magdalena Mišković from Tolisa added that everyone should personally experience an inner transformation:
“When one person changes, that person can accomplish a great deal.”
Ramadan, too, calls for reflection on one’s relationship with God and personal transformation.
“It is a time for a person to attain God-consciousness, reverence and awareness of the Almighty, or, as some would put it, to refrain from sin. The month of Ramadan should awaken our sense of empathy, solidarity and all positive qualities,” said Hafiz Redžo Sivić, Chief Imam of the Islamic Community Council in Orašje.
For Orašje resident and believer Osman Tukulj, Ramadan brings a profound sense of spiritual renewal.
“It is a blessing when a person improves themselves, contributing to their own fulfillment, to the peace of their soul, and strengthening their faith in Allah the Exalted, knowing they are on the right path.”
He added a message to all believers:
“My message to all believers is to make the best possible use of this blessed month of Ramadan through acts of worship and good deeds prescribed by the Almighty, above all fasting, as well as various prayers and other forms of devotion.”
Regardless of religious affiliation, all are called to live out acts of love, solidarity and assistance to others, not only during Lent and Ramadan, but beyond them as well.
