Fourth Sunday of Lent: The ravages of war
Reading
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Prayer
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And wisdom to know the difference
Reflection
The ravages of war continue to be reflected every day as we watch the news. We sit with tears in our eyes and become filled with anger and disbelief that these horrors continue to afflict our Ukrainian neighbors. Even more disturbing is that we see Black people being pushed back to the end of the line to board trains and busses as they attempt to escape the violence in Ukraine. Are their lives of less value? The ravages of war are not free from racism.
Our frustrations and stress remain unabated. How can we sit by and do nothing? What can we do? Will we ever be able to forgive him who has inflicted all this pain and turmoil — who has turned the world upside down just so he can build his power base? Why does systemic racism continue to fester amid these other atrocities? Is there more yet to come that will affect us all in the future? How can we live through this and not despair? Prayer can give us comfort, we can share the stories of oppression, and we can donate monetarily to worthy causes.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. James 4:1-2
Questions for discussion or reflection
How can we talk to our neighbors who believe that Putin’s war is justified?
Can we lessen the polarization in this country through education and remembering our Christian values?
Final readings
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9
Final prayer
The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Suggestions for almsgiving
There are many worthy organizations that are calling for assistance, but one must be careful to research how donations are used. Based on our research, my husband and I suggest these four organizations:
