Wednesday of Holy Week
April 5th, 2023
Call to Action: 87-88
87. We call upon all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, sports halls of fame,
and other relevant organizations, to provide public education that tells the national story of Aboriginal
athletes in history.
88. We call upon all levels of government to take action to ensure long-term Aboriginal athlete
development and growth, and continued support for the North American Indigenous Games, including
funding to host the games and for provincial and territorial team preparation and travel.
Suggestions for Almsgiving
The 2023 Lenten Calendar is a project of CTA's Indigenous Solidarity Collective, a working group that addresses the Catholic Church's historical and current role in colonialization. To support more projects from working groups like this one, please consider making a contribution!
Wednesday, Apr. 5, 2023
Media and Reconciliation
Call To Action's 2023 Lenten Calendar is a collaboration between the Indigenous Solidarity Collective and Anti-Racism Team (ART). This calendar provides more than 40 days of prayer and study to lead members into action and solidarity with Indigenous communities. For holy days and Sundays during Lent, we'll publish a reflection from an ART or Indigenous Solidarity Collective member on why we're committed to undoing racism and Indigenous oppression in our own communities and biases and what it means to do this work as Catholics. Following each meditation or reflection, we will feature a call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Isaiah’s theme of the Suffering Servant has long been a comfort and support to those who are forced to endure underserved derision and persecution. The abused claim the protection and power of our Creator to wear as a shield of armor against the buffets and blows of worldly foes. While this is spiritually uplifting, history has repeatedly demonstrated that human souls will indeed suffer in the absence of human intervention.
The Prophet is calling us, we who claim a relationship with the Creator, to stand with and uphold the rights of the dispossessed and oppressed. As we draw closer to that time when we commemorate Jesus being detained, mistreated, and ultimately enduring suffering and death on the cross, we need to ask ourselves what we must do to prevent or alleviate the suffering of others.
Someone has said that “Christ did not hang on the cross so that we would never have to hang there. He hung on the cross so that we would never have to hand there alone.” We must not allow anyone to “hang there alone” if we are to call ourselves followers of Jesus.
—Meditation by Indigenous Solidarity Collective member Mary Ann Reed
As part of your Lenten practice, please consider donating to one or more of the
following organizations: