Saturday, 24 February marks the two-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It’s a conflict that has slipped from the headlines somewhat, but the fighting remains intense and the suffering is great. Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Bishop of the Eparchy, or diocese, of the Holy Family of London offers us a Lenten reflection calling for prayer, support and a re-evaluation of how we are all called to be peacemakers in our society today.
Bishop Nowakowski, who looks after the UK’s Ukrainian Catholic Community, raises the plight of Ukraine’s people, but is quick to call for prayer for the suffering of the Holy Land caught up in the conflict in Gaza.
He also emphasises that, although we live miles away from the conflict, during this Lenten time of fasting and alms-giving, the other main pillar of the season – prayer – is where our focus should lie:
“We can’t help everybody throughout the world with our limited means, but surely we can pray. Pray for peace, pray for justice, pray for those who are alone. Pray for those who are suffering – especially for those who are suffering separation. We think of the families that have been torn apart because of the war in Ukraine, the tens of thousands of young women who have fled to the United Kingdom with their children while their husbands have had to remain behind to defend Ukraine.”
Approaching the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on the last two years of the killings, the destruction, and the devastation that has been waged against Ukraine by its neighbour Russia.
We also want to reflect on and remember all of the people from Ukraine that have fled harm’s way and have found their way here to Great Britain. Over 260,000 people have been welcomed by ordinary British people into their homes under the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme.
Whilst the war in Ukraine has not been on the daily news, or at least the first headline of the news, it is still very much part of our mind, our understanding and our thoughts. And I think as we’re approaching already in Lent, or as we call it in the Eastern Church, the Great Fast, it’s a time for us to pray more for peace in Ukraine, but peace throughout the world.
We see the horrific news coming out of the Holy Land, the suffering that’s happening there, both for the Israelis and Palestinians. We see the suffering of the Ukrainian people. So during this time of Lent, this journey towards the Resurrection of Christ, we’re asked three things. We’re asked to intensify our prayer. We’re asked to abstain or fast. We’re also asked to give alms to remember those who are in need. Maybe we can’t help everybody throughout the world with our limited means, but surely we can pray. Pray for peace, pray for justice, pray for those who are alone. Pray for those who are suffering – especially for those who are suffering separation. We think of the families that have been torn apart because of the war in Ukraine, the tens of thousands of young women who have fled to the United Kingdom with their children while their husbands have had to remain behind to defend Ukraine.
We can pray for them. We can abstain or fast, not just from chocolate or certain types of foods, but we can abstain from quick judgments. We can abstain from harsh words to our family, to our friends. And alms. Yes, we can give. We can be charitable. We can give to the organisations, both that are helping our brothers and sisters here in the United Kingdom. But we also can give alms and donate things, money, to organisations that are working in Ukraine or in the Middle East, or wherever the need is the greatest.
While the news broadcasts may not be reflecting the pain and the suffering that is occurring today in Ukraine, we certainly can see the suffering that is happening in our own neighbourhoods, perhaps in our own families, that we need to be more reflective of. We can be going to our parishes – to church – to support one another through increase of prayer, to be more attentive. Maybe we can call that family member or friend that lives far away from us or is shut in and can’t get out.
There are so many ways that we can commemorate the poor and the needy in our own homes, in our own community, and remember that when we’re doing this, we are also helping people in Ukraine and in the Holy Land. During this time of struggle, we can’t expect that our world leaders will bring about peace unless they have come from peaceful communities, from peaceful families.
Lent gives us an opportunity to reflect and re-evaluate how we are as peacemakers in our society, in our homes, in our towns. How are we supporting the men and women in the Armed Forces? How are we supporting those who protect us – the police? How are we supporting and appreciating the NHS workers? How are we supporting those men and women who keep our neighbourhoods clean – that keep our streets clean? How are we supporting our educators? How can we let our educators, our teachers, know that they’re important to us? I’d also not like us to forget about priests who are having to provide pastoral ministry, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, for all of those who are working in the church, in our chanceries, in our parish offices, helping each other.
So for me, the way that we can keep our focus on Ukraine and on the Middle East is by keeping aware of what’s going on in our communities. For me, as the Bishop for Ukrainian Catholics here in Great Britain, I also think of how we can be supporting, in prayer, His Majesty The King, who has been so supportive of Ukrainian people both here and abroad. We have an opportunity to make little differences that altogether make big differences. And my prayer, and my wish, for all of us during this time of Lent is that we can become that community of God that we are all called to.
Here in the United Kingdom, we have the image of cloudy skies and rainy weather. But when the sun comes out and shines on the British countryside, there’s nothing more glorious than that. And certainly we, people of faith, our job, in many ways, our vocation, is to encourage each other along our journeys and to provide hope, hope that we are not alone, hope that we have not been abandoned.
When I was visiting Ukraine shortly after the full-scale invasion, and I met with people who suffered so much and listened to them and asked them what they would like us in the West to do, their comments were, “Don’t forget about us. Please pray for us. When we know that you remember us, we have hope.” And so I think that we are meant, as Christians, to be those signs of hope for those who feel they have no hope. When we think of the place of candles in our liturgical celebration, when we light a candle, it brings light, it brings warmth, it brings joy where there was darkness before. When we are journeying towards the Resurrection, to Jesus who is the light Himself, we are also meant to be those candles, or at least reflect that eternal flame that gives us all hope.
