From the Pastor’s Desk:

On Friday, March 25th, in Catholic Churches across the world in union with Pope Francis we prayed “a solemn Act of Consecration of humanity, especially of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary”. The Pope prayed, “May she, the Queen of Peace, help us obtain peace.” When Mary appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima in 1917 with a message encouraging prayer and repentance, she also asked for the consecration of Russia. I invite you this week to reflect upon Mary at the foot of the cross. As Jesus was dying, the Gospels say that Mary, his mother, stood under the cross. From all outward appearances, she wasn’t doing anything at all. She is not recorded as saying anything, wasn’t trying to stop the crucifixion, nor was she trying to protest its unfairness or to plead Jesus’ innocence. She was silent. At a deeper spiritual level, Mary was doing all that she could do in that type of situation, she was standing inside of it, in strength, refusing to give back anger, bitterness or violence. Since common sense tells us that Mary couldn’t have stopped the crucifixion, she by being passive was stopping some of the hatred, bitterness, jealousy, heartlessness, and anger that caused it and which surrounded it. She did this by helping stop those who put Jesus on the cross by refusing to give back in kind, by transforming rather than transmitting them. Mary in her silence was radiating all the gentleness, understanding, forgiveness, peace, light and love that had flowed from her Son. All of this is a bitter pill to swallow. What mother, what father, would only stand by and silently watch as their son was nailed to a cross to suffer and die. But sometimes it is our only choice. As the Book of Lamentations says, there are times when the best we can do is “put our mouths to the dust and wait!” We cannot be afraid to suffer, because this world is imperfect. This is not passivity, resignation, or weakness, but genuine, rare strength. It is standing under the cross with Mary, so that the Lord of all love may help to take away some of the world’s hatred, chaos, bitterness and violence. Walk with Mary this these last weeks of Lent as she follows her loving son carrying His cross to Calvary, a cross covered in the blood of the men, women and children of the Ukraine.