Monday of the Second Week in Lent

Readings of the Day

“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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