A penitential season of transformation

The Season of Lent began three weeks ago at Ash Wednesday when we received the ashes visibly marking us with the sign of repentance and of eternal life.

Lent is a season that invites us to reflect on the transformational change needed in our lives in anticipation of celebrating the new life in Christ at Easter. This Season often coincides with Spring – a season filled with the natural signs of rebirth, new beginnings, and new growth.  And in the Third week of Lent this year, we do in fact mark the first day of Spring. 

Lent provides the opportunity to grow deeper spiritually by engaging in the practices of fasting, almsgiving, and more frequent prayer from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. These penitential days of Lent can truly help us to experience a spiritual transformation and thus to celebrate more fully the Easter Season.

This year the season of Lent is also offering us many moments and world events that invite a pause in the usual routines of living. The pandemic has taken a toll on people. Some have lost family members and friends during the pandemic and often those deaths were compounded painfully by isolation from one another. Some have lost employment or experienced a reduction in work hours. Others have suffered mental health issues as the health precautions imposed an isolation that impacted the provision of supportive mental health care services. Children were unable to attend school at times or they studied at home away from their friends. The list of impacts goes on. 

And then, as things slowly began to return to normal pre-pandemic practices, Russia attacked Ukraine and the world watched in horror the images of innocent people caught in the middle of this violent conflict. It has been shocking and tragic to see the suffering of the people in Ukraine as their homes are bombed and more recently the hospitals and shelters that are being targeted and destroyed.

The world is seeing a tragic injustice unfold that is causing deep suffering, a suffering that we can carry in our prayers asking for God’s strength and comfort.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)) denounces the destruction which is inflicted by war:

Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation. A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons - to commit such crimes.” CCC 2314

The condemnation of Russia’s aggressive indiscriminate choice of warfare has been resolutely opposed by the countries of the world and is only matched by the bravery of the Ukrainian men and women fighting to defend their freedom and homeland. What outstanding examples of personal fortitude and perseverance!  

In the midst of this destruction and human suffering, there are witnesses to the faith who are reaching out to alleviate one another’s anguish. Mothers in Poland left strollers at a train station for those mothers arriving with children from Ukraine, a volunteer at the Polish border gave children candy and toys, Romanian volunteers gave flowers to women arriving from Ukraine on International Women’s Day, a person played the piano at the border crossing, people in Berlin greeted a train arriving from Ukraine with signs indicating how many people they could welcome with accommodation, etc.  A father and eldest son saying farewell to the mother and three other children in the family were asked by a reporter if they thought that the family would be reunited soon.  The eldest son replied quickly and without hesitation, “Everything will be alright.”

While the troubles of the world are many and they are very serious, these examples of human kindness and strength give inspiring witness to the faith and goodness of people. We join in this witness through donations to Ukraine, in supporting relief efforts, welcoming those displaced by the war to resettle in Canada and with our prayers.
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On the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Friday, March 25), Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  His Holiness has invited Bishops around the world to join in this Act of Consecration. In solidarity with our Holy Father and in union with my brother bishops I will offer this Act of Consecration on behalf of the Diocese at St. Mary's Cathedral. A Novena Prayer is also being prayed in the nine days preceding the Solemnity and I invite you to join in the Novena Prayer and the Act of Consecration. This spiritual engagement is as important and needed as the relief efforts. The act of humbly seeking God’s mercy and grace in prayer this Lent can further the dialogue of peace. Such acts of penance can be transformational for us and the world.   

Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we must do everything reasonably possible to avoid it. The Church prays: "From famine, pestilence, and war, O Lord, deliver us." CCC 2327

​Let us continue to pray for peace. From famine, pestilence, and war, O Lord, deliver us.

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The Ukrainian Catholic leaders have prepared a Novena and invited all Catholic faithful from around the world to join them in prayer. We invite the faithful of the Diocese and all people of goodwill to participate in the Novena prayer above.

Written by Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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​March 21, 2022