Of Lent and Ukraine

Today countless Christians will receive ashes on their foreheads to remind them that from dust they came and to dust they will return. For the next 40 days spiritual exercises will be observed throughout the Christian community. Prayer, Fasting and Alms Giving. A trinity to draw us closer to the Trinity.

If I ever needed to draw closer to God, it is now. Putin’s war on Ukraine is pure darkness, casting a shadow on the free world. The darkness of Marx, Lenin, and Putin is an alternate trinity, a trinity of death. This darkness originated from the denial of God, and that God lives in us, such that each person has his own value and rights given them by their creator God. The denial of God means that the “State” is all powerful over the individual. It should not surprise us, nor is it a coincidence, that in 1978, a Polish Pope cast the light of Christ into the Soviet Union and began a revolution.

This Lent I am exploring how the light of Christ can cause a revolution within me. By revolution I mean a sudden, radical, and complete change. Last Sunday I was reminded by the Gospel reading that I need to remove the log from my eye before trying to remove the splinter from my neighbor’s eye. It is tempting to focus on the chaos that Putin is causing, along with the sins of other powerful, high-profile people. Much like oxygen masks on a plane, I need to remove the log from my own eye first. The revolution of love and peace takes preparation, including log removal.

Preparation is the work of Lent. This spiritual exercise is a strenuous workout where we are stretched and pushed to our limit. But we need to be strong for the spiritual battles we all face. The light of spiritual revolution is the revelation of the Risen Jesus. As Paul says, Christ’s immortality overcame death.

Imagine the horror when the enemy hears: “O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting?”. As I begin this lent, I pray for the people of Ukraine, may they be strong in Christ and may they be surrounded by His love, peace and clarity for the battle ahead.