Prayer and Fasting for Peace

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

Less than two weeks ago, I would have thought that the spiritual focus for the season of Lent in 2022 could have been the Synodal process, which surely will be part of our Lenten experience. Here in our Diocese, we are also having a Year of the Eucharist and opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration and devotion can also help us on our Lenten journey. The Synod and the Eucharist will be part of our Lent in 2022, but, once again, we have been reminded that our focus sometimes has to change because of events beyond our control. As we are all now aware, a week ago, on Thursday, Feb. 24, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the world’s attention has turned to the senseless violence and disregard for human life, especially to the innocent victims who have been killed and injured.

Pope Francis has condemned the violence and called for prayer and fasting, especially on Ash Wednesday, praying for peace and for the people of Ukraine. I was struck by an article, posted on the Vatican website on Feb. 26 entitled, Pope and Zelensky speak by phone: “Deep pain for the war in Ukraine.” The article described the phone call, during which the Ukrainian President thanked Pope Francis for his prayers for peace and said that the Ukrainian people feel his “spiritual support.” It also shared an exchange of tweets:

In another tweet, President Zelensky said: “I thanked Pope Francis for praying for peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire. The Ukrainian people feel the spiritual support of His Holiness.”

For the second day in a row that the Pope has used his Twitter account @Pontifex to forcefully affirm his “no to war” in Ukrainian and in Russian:

“Jesus teaches us to respond to the diabolical senseless of violence with God’s weapons: with prayer and fasting. May the Queen of peace preserve the world from the folly of war.”

On Friday, in a tweet in Ukrainian and in Russian, the Pope recalled a quote from his encyclical Fratelli tutti:

“Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil.”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-02/pope-ukraine-president-zelenskyy-russia-war-telephone-call.html
 

Each year on Ash Wednesday, we hear Jesus teaching his disciples (us) about prayer, fasting, and giving alms (Mt 6:1–6, 16–18). For most Catholics, we take the season of Lent seriously and we make a sincere effort to deepen our prayer life, fast in some way (giving something up and abstaining from meat on Fridays), and many try to be more generous (give alms). In this Lent of 2022, we can clearly see the need to be united with the whole Church and most of the world in praying for peace, praying for a “miracle” that this invasion and war would come to end as quickly as possible. We can also see how our fasting can join us together in solidarity with the suffering Christ and with our brothers and sisters who are suffering. St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians encourages us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (6:2). United through our prayer, fasting, and material support we accompany our suffering brothers and sisters along this very perilous road.

Each year on the first Sunday of Lent, we reflect on the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, in prayer and fasting. This year we will hear the Gospel of Luke (4:1–G13). We see how fasting strengthened Jesus. Although he may have been physically weak and vulnerable, he was spiritually strong and prepared to resist the three temptations from the devil. In the early days of the Russian invasion, while our hearts are moved to sadness to see the violence and destruction of life, the world has also been inspired by the strength of the Ukrainian people as they fight to defend their homeland. We should never underestimate the spiritual power of prayer and fasting. As we pray and fast for peace, we do so in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

During Lent, we reflect on the Paschal Mystery, the mystery of the Cross, of Jesus’ suffering death and Resurrection. One of the “lessons of the Cross” is that, while we would never choose to suffer and share in the Lord’s Cross, we know that he teaches us that, at times, we must “deny ourselves” and, with him, “take up our Cross.” We learn that the Cross can come in many forms, shapes, and sizes, but we also learn that it is often during the moments of deepest sadness and pain that we can be closest to him and experience his loving presence as we share in his Cross. I believe that we can already see the ways in which the Lord is transforming this experience of the Cross for the Ukrainian people into an experience of his loving presence. I have been overwhelmed by the response that we have seen here in our Diocese as people ask what can be done to assist the people of Ukraine at this time. The generous “giving of alms” and donations that has already begun, I believe, is a powerful reflection of the “spiritual support” for which President Zelensky thanked Pope Francis. Many have given or will give to special collections and other means of sending help to those who need it most in Ukraine and the surrounding regions, where refugees are being welcomed and cared for. Let us hope and pray that the generous response of people throughout the world will contribute to the Ukrainian people knowing a share in the Lord’s victory.

We know that the prayer, fasting, and alms giving of Lent will lead us to Holy Week, to Calvary, to Jesus’ Passion, suffering and death, but, finally, to the joy of his Resurrection, His victory over sin and death. On the Fridays of Lent, we often pray the Stations of the Cross, meditating and preparing to walk the way of the Cross with Jesus and our Blessed Mother on Good Friday. Sadly, the experience of Good Friday has already arrived for so many of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We pray for all who are suffering as they share in the Lord’s Cross. We pray with confidence that they are not alone, that our Blessed Mother, the Queen of Peace, will strengthen and comfort them and that the prayers, fasting, and almsgiving of so many will accompany them. Especially during this Lent of 2022, we pray and fast for peace.