From Catholic Charities USA <[email protected]>
Subject CCUSA Lent Reflection - March 14
Date March 14, 2022 9:01 AM
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Catholic Charities USA


Monday of the Second Week in Lent

Readings of the Day
[link removed]

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and
you will not be judged. . . . Forgive and you will be forgiven."

As I watch the conflict in Ukraine, an anger wells up inside me, an
anger that verges on hatred as I witness the murder of innocent people
and the destruction of a nation.

Nevertheless, as I watch the horror unfold, I can't help but
recall the words that Jesus spoke from the cross: "Father,
forgive them, they know not what they do."

The Russian soldiers, like the Roman soldiers who killed Jesus,
apparently believe they are doing the right thing. And Russian
citizens, fed a constant diet of misinformation by state-run media,
are so convinced of their cause that they do not believe their own
relatives living in Ukraine who tell them that the news stories they
follow are not true.

Similar disinformation has been disseminated by people who wanted to
portray Putin as the victim of attacks by our government. In a similar
manner, disinformation has led some to lose faith in Pope Francis.

As I think of those who have been deceived, my anger turns to sadness;
I see them as lost sheep led astray by false shepherds. On issues from
war to immigration to climate change, they are following people whose
interest is not in the truth but on promoting agendas at the expense
of the common good.

These lost sheep are not enemies to be attacked but, rather, souls to
be saved, sisters and brothers to be loved. We must reach out to them
in charity, listening to their concerns while still proclaiming the
truth of our faith and the facts as we know them.

None of this, however, makes us less willing to assist the victims of
war, poverty, and other conditions that afflict our world. We cannot
be silent on the important issues of our time. Yet, in doing so, let
us act without rancor. And let us pray that God will make us merciful
and forgiving, demonstrating by our lives that we are followers of
Jesus.

Deacon Walter Ayres is Director of Catholic Charities Commission on
Peace and Justice on the Diocese of Albany, NY.

 




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