Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada (DPCC) is calling Canadians to give generously to help our regional partners respond to the widening and worsening Middle East emergency. Our appeal is part of a national collection by the Humanitarian Coalition, in which we are participating as a member of Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

DPCC has also allocated $60,000 to Caritas Iran and $165,000 to Caritas Lebanon, who have already begun providing food, water, emergency supplies and medical and shelter services to war-affected people. Other partners in the region, too, stand ready to come to people’s aid as the crisis spreads, but they will all need much more support.

Middle East emergency: an illegal war

The current phase of the Middle East emergency began when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. This abruptly and violently ended negotiations in which Iran had made significant concessions to bring a peace deal within reach, according to Oman’s foreign minister, who was mediating the talks.

Iran retaliated by striking what it claims to be American assets in neighbouring countries. Then, Hezbollah began hitting back at Israel, which had kept violating an existing ceasefire. Israel responded with airstrikes on Lebanon and has now begun a ground invasion.

Though rightly denounced by the international community, the Iranian authorities’ deadly repression of dissent does not justify the American and Israeli aggressions. DPCC has joined Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of Catholic aid and development organizations of which we are the Canadian member, in unequivocally condemning these attacks as “grave violations of human dignity, the rule of law, and international law.” This assessment of their illegality is shared by UN experts and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“A tragedy of immense proportions”

From the outset of the war on Iran, Pope Leo XIV feared “the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions.” On the very first day, American strikes on a school in Minab killed over 165 people, mostly children.

By yesterday, a live tracker of official figures was reporting that over 1,400 people had been killed and over 18,500 had been injured in Iran, and that the death toll in Israel, in other Gulf states and among American armed forces had surpassed 75. Up to 3.2 million Iranians are estimated to have been temporarily displaced.

In Lebanon, 912 people have been killed; 2,221 people have been injured; and at least 816,000 people, representing 14 per cent of the entire population, have been displaced. The war has exacted an especially heavy toll on children across the Middle East, with over 1,100 reported killed or injured and at least 52 million facing disrupted education.

In contravention of humanitarian principles and law, American and Israeli attacks are also destroying civil infrastructure, the environment, health facilities and cultural monuments, and, along with Iranian reprisals, exacerbating economic hardship and food insecurity.

Middle East emergency: you can help now

The complexity of this Middle East emergency means that people facing it need not only relief and aid but also sustained support to heal rifts, recover and rebuild resilience. Our partners can meet these needs, but only with your help. That is why we ask you to please give generously online or by calling 1-888-234-8533 toll-free.

We also join the bishops of Canada in asking the faithful to pray for peace; reiterate Pope Leo XIV’s reminder that peace can be achieved “only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue;” and echo the Holy Father’s call to the belligerents to cease fire.

Readings:

Ezekiel 37:12-14
Psalm 130
Romans 8:8-11
John 11:1-45

From dry bones a people is born, from fear a movement arises, from crisis a new creation emerges.

By Gustave Ineza OP, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Toronto

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, the Word of God presents us with two powerful images of life snatched from death: the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel and the tomb of Lazarus in Bethany. Both speak of situations that seem hopeless, where life has withdrawn and only inert matter remains. Yet in both cases, God does not allow death to have the last word.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord addresses a people in exile who feel like a nation already buried: “I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people” (Ezekiel 37:12). Israel is not only wounded or discouraged; it is as if dead. Exile, oppression and humiliation have drained the people of their breath. But God promises more than comfort: he promises resurrection. “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:14). Life returns when God breathes his Spirit into what seemed lost forever.

This prophecy does not concern only ancient Israel. It applies to all situations where systems of exploitation, violence or neglect reduce people to “dry bones,” deprived of dignity, voice and hope. Entire communities today live as if locked in a tomb: crushed by ecological destruction, forced displacement, debt or economic structures that prioritize profit at the expense of people. Their lands are ravaged, their rivers polluted, their ways of life stifled. From the outside, one might think that nothing new can sprout there.

In this reality, the Gospel of the resurrection of Lazarus resonates with the same force. Jesus does not remain distant from death. He goes to Bethany, stands before a sealed tomb, and weeps. His tears are not a sign of weakness, but of divine compassion. Before calling Lazarus out of the tomb, Jesus accepts the pain of Martha, Mary and the whole community. He enters into their mourning. Then he cries out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). The one who was bound by funeral bandages comes out of the tomb. But the story does not end there. Jesus turns to those around him and says, “Unbind him, and let him go” (John 11:44). The miracle involves the community. They must help remove the signs of death and return Lazarus to life among his own.

This is where the Word connects with our mission. We are called to untie others. Faith in the God of life cannot remain abstract or disembodied. It draws us to those whose lives have been emptied by unjust systems, communities wounded by extractive industries, environmental degradation, crushing poverty and exclusion.

On this Sunday of solidarity, as we reflect on ecological justice and the work of partners who accompany affected communities, we hear Jesus’s command to us: “Untie them.” Support, advocacy, generosity and faithful presence are ways to help roll away the stone from modern tombs. When we stand alongside communities living along exploited territories and routes, when we denounce structures that poison both the earth and people, we participate in God’s promise. The spirituality of giving is participation in the very action of God who breathes life where there is death. Every act of generosity, every step On Track for Justice, becomes a small resurrection, a sign that the Spirit is always at work.

Lent leads us to the cross, where death seems to triumph. But already today, amid the dry bones and open tombs, we are reminded that God raises the dead. And he invites us to be, with Christ, servants of life.

Readings:

1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41

How were your eyes opened?

By Sister Jean Bellini, member of the Pastoral Land Commission, Brazil

In John’s gospel, we accompany a scene in which Jesus’s disciples are ready to call judgement on a man simply by noting that he was blind, presuming that his blindness was the result of sin. They are not really seeing the man, only his limitation. Jesus, on the other hand, moved by the man’s condition, did what was in his power.

When the man was brought before the Pharisees, they said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. Imagine, learning that a man born blind could now see, only to resist recognizing the miracle of him having been cured, and being more concerned about sabbath laws instead!

When we are presented with a new way of looking at the reality around us, are we open to perceiving the new, or do we resist and hold on to what is familiar, what served us in the past?

Justiça nos Trilhos (Justice on Rails) and Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada work to open the eyes of people―within the Church and beyond―to see what isn’t so obvious at first, encouraging a second level of awareness. By their preferential option for the poor, they have come to see beyond first appearances, to look a little more closely, to see the broader picture, sometimes helping us see what at first goes unnoticed.

We live in an era of indiscriminate distribution of information, real and fake, significant and trivial, all day, every day and everywhere. Unconsciously, our minds tend to “protect” us by shielding us from absorbing the true importance of the information and hence we screen out valid and significant facts together with the insignificant.

Your donations during the Lenten campaign make it possible for Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada to support the genuine efforts of partners in the Global South. These partners encourage, accompany and communicate the initiatives and efforts of grassroots organizations to overcome difficulties and find viable, sustainable solutions to environmental, social and economic challenges, and to do so collectively, thereby strengthening their resilience against future challenges.

Since 1981, I have been an active member of the Pastoral Land Commission. Ever since Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada was created, we have been able to count on its solidarity in meeting our challenges. And so the web of solidarity grows and intertwines. We collaborate in joint actions with Justiça nos Trilhos and greatly admire their work.

The work of Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada members and volunteers who offer their time and energy to spread the word and encourage others to collaborate through their campaigns is very important and greatly appreciated.

Through the inspiring testimonies of three women, two food product manufacturers and a market gardener, discover how the project has strengthened their organizations, supported their income-generating activities and enhanced their autonomy.

Bengali Mariam Koné, an AMASSA project manager, also explains in this video how the initiative was implemented and its tangible impacts on communities.

In response to recent military escalations in the Middle East, marked by joint attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent reprisals, Caritas Internationalis―the global confederation of Catholic relief, development and social service organisations of which of which Development and Peace – Caritas Canada is a member―released the following statement.

Caritas unequivocally condemns the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran on Saturday, in which they claim to have dropped over 1,200 bombs, and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel and several other countries in the region, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

These acts of war increase the tension, violence and instability in the region, jeopardising prospects of peace, and constitute grave violations of human dignity, the rule of law, and International Law, including the UN Charter and International Humanitarian Law, which protects civilians and non-combatants in conflict.

Schools, hospitals, places of worship and populated civilian areas, which should be sanctuaries of learning, care and safety, are protected spaces under International Humanitarian Law; attacks on which, deliberately or recklessly, are morally indefensible and legally prohibited.

In this moment of rapidly escalating regional tension, Caritas urges all parties to step back from the brink immediately and diffuse the situation, to refrain from further military action, and to uphold their obligation to protect civilians without exception.

The loss of innocent life, particularly that of children, demands urgent restraint and a renewed commitment to diplomacy.

In today’s Angelus, responding to the spiralling violence in the Middle East, Pope Leo appealed powerfully for stability and peace, which can only be achieved through reasonable, sincere dialogue.

Addressing all the parties involved directly, Pope Leo XIV said:

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.”
— Pope Leo XIV

Caritas echoes this urgent appeal. Justice, restraint, and the primacy of human life must guide national leaders’ every decision in this critical moment.

The international community must act swiftly to prevent further loss of innocent life and to ensure accountability, protection, and a genuine path toward peace.

Readings:

Exodus 17:3-7
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7ab, 7d-8a.9
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
John 4:5-42
John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42

Dare to encounter

By Françoise Lagacé, theologian and member of Development and Peace — Caritas Canada in Gatineau

One of the most beautiful encounters, the one in the Gospel of John, is still so inspiring today.

A man, a Jew; a woman, a Samaritan.

It took a well outside the village in Samaria for Jesus and the Samaritan woman to meet that noon. For an unlikely dialogue to begin, a face-to-face, heart-to-heart conversation that was decisive, despite all social prohibitions.

It was not the time for meetings. No one dared venture out under the blazing sun. Yet there they were, the beggar and the unloved woman. Jesus, exhausted from the road, thirsty, so close to the well, but with nothing to draw water. A woman, without a name, came to draw water, far from prying eyes.

But thirst is greater than all prohibitions, and she initiates a great upheaval.

“How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”

In these few words, she highlights everything that separates them; all the prejudices that keep us distant and suspicious of one another, even today.

But now, the same thirst unites them: the thirst not only for daily water from the well, but also, above all, a deeper thirst that Jesus awakens in her.

At the edge of the well, each of them needs the other. And it is there, despite all the constraints imposed, that the Good News resounds. It took this deep quest and a daring freedom for this to happen.

“Tell me, if all this were true, I would say yes, oh, surely, I would say yes. Because it’s all so beautiful when you believe it’s true.”
― From Dites, si c’était vrai, a song about the veracity of the Gospel by Belgian songster-actor Jacques Brel (1929-1978)

The woman leaves her jug, goes into town and says to the men, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!”

They leave the town and come to him.

What movement, what decisive action in these few sentences. The woman dares to make this missionary return to her village. Jesus has given her back her voice and her dignity. She then became the first messenger of the Good News among the Samaritans.

This encounter at the well gives meaning to so many small daily gestures that connect us to one another. Pope Francis, in Fratelli tutti, calls us to the art of encounter. He speaks of this new dream of fraternity and social friendship.

A dream that sets us in motion.

“On the move, the hungry and thirsty for dignity, justice, and peace.
Yes, they will be satisfied,” translates André Chouraqui.

Dreams are built together, actively. We must, says the pope, come closer, listen to each other, look at each other, get to know each other, try to understand each other, seek points of contact… we must dialogue. To meet and help each other, we need to dialogue.

How does this story relate to us today? The Bible and Pope Francis offer some clues.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
― John 13:35

“By acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity…. ‘By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages…. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together.’ Let us dream, then, as a single human family… as children of the same earth which is our common home… brothers and sisters all.”  Fratelli tutti, §8)

Let us engage in dialogue together at the edge of a well, rereading Fratelli tutti.

“Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”
― John 4:15

When I first heard that we would be receiving a Share Lent solidarity visitor in Saskatchewan this February as part of our On Track for Justice campaign, I knew it would be deeply moving, but I had no idea of the experiences, joys, laughter and warmth that awaited!

“What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands… we declare to you… so that you also may have fellowship with us….”
― 1 John 1:1-3

Coming from a round of key meetings in Montreal and Toronto, Fr. Dario Bossi, MCCJ (or “Padre Dario” as he is known), landed in Saskatoon on February 17, just minutes before the arrival of yet another winter storm. The weather was cold and snowy, but the welcome received was warm and thoughtful, punctuated by good humour directed not least at the conditions outside!

Padre Dario and I brought the “show on the road,” visiting communities in Saskatoon, Regina, Swift Current and Bruno. Why tiny Bruno of all places? Read on below!

A solidarity visitor who stands with the people

Padre Dario is a Comboni priest and missionary who dedicates his life to serving those most in need in our world (see this auto-translation of his interview in Portuguese on Vatican News to learn more about him). Although he was born in Italy, Padre Dario’s vocation led him to serve communities in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. There, he was confronted with the stark realities of living in the backdrop of environmental devastation caused by one of the world’s largest open pit iron mines, in the Amazon rainforest. This mine is connected to the port city of São Luís by the nearly 900-kilometre Carajás railway, which locals have dubbed the “iron dragon.” The railway greatly disrupts the lives of the inhabitants of nearby communities in a plethora of difficult and harmful ways.

For generations, residents of the area who have suffered environmental, social, and health-related ill effects have been mobilizing for change, most recently with the help of Justiça nos Trilhos (Justice on Rails, JnT), a partner of Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada (DPCC). Working closely with the people to support their struggle, Padre Dario and JnT were able to get the most affected community, Piquia de Baixo, resettled to a safer and healthier location away from the effects of both the railroad and local steel mills. The fight for environmental justice, however, continues in over 100 communities along the snaking railway.

These are our sisters and brothers. This is Christ saying, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

A whirlwind tour, a packed agenda

Over the course of six days, Padre Dario shared his message of equal parts challenge and hope across Saskatchewan, recounting the daily lives of those on the wrong side of so-called “sacrifice zones” of the world.

He met with bishops, priests, deacons, diocesan staff, monks from St Peter’s Abbey in Muenster and dedicated parishioners. Many younger folks, too, took in his message during key meetings at St. Thomas More College in Saskatoon and St. Therese Institute in Bruno. Campion College students had a lunch with him and attended the presentation at St Peter’s Parish in Regina (watch the video). I couldn’t help but notice that whomever he spoke to, Padre Dario took the time to chat, listen, and respond with warmth. A true pastor for our global Church!

A teacher and a learner

Padre Dario also had the opportunity to receive much in each of his encounters and in the broader cultural dimensions of his journey through Saskatchewan. He received a tour of St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, where he learned of the deep cultural ties of Ukrainian people in the province. He also visited the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, where he learned about the region’s natural history and Indigenous roots. He ended his trip by at Asimakaniseekan Askiy on Muskeg Lake Cree Nation land, where he had coffee with Deacon Harry LaFond, a venerable scholar, Elder, former chief and Saskatchewan Order of Merit laureate.

Lasting impressions

Wonderful long-time DPCC members opened their homes to Padre Dario and I on our week-long odyssey and the mirth will continue to warm our hearts with good memories for years to come.

I will truly miss his presence and wish we could spend more time with him; though I imagine he was anxious to get to places that are warmer at this time of year! I was amazed not only at the difference that one single missionary can make, but also at the difference that the women and men fighting for their rights in the Amazonia region of Brazil can make to the life of Padre Dario and, through him, to us all.

Inspired? You can become a supporter and advocate of this and countless partnerships for change all around the world. In the face of devastating worldwide cuts to humanitarian aid and development (which I experienced first-hand during my learning tour in Rwanda last year), you can plot a different course for Canada by championing change to your MP and becoming involved in your local DPCC community as a member-volunteer. You can start by emailing your local animator who can connect you with other like-minded folks in your province or territory. Our partners work every single day for justice and change in their communities. You can support them in their work by becoming a monthly donor. If you sign up by May 24, your donation amount will be doubled for a year. Now is the time to give!

As inspirational as Padre Dario is, not even he can do this work alone. Join me in responding to this epic journey by doubling our commitment to live in solidarity this Share Lent and beyond!

Readings:

Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm 33:4-5, 8-9, 20, 22
2 Timothy 1:8b-10
Matt. 17:1-9

A world transfigured: the transformative grace of ecological justice

By Sister Priscilla Solomon, an Ojibway member of the Anishinabek Nation and a Sister of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie

The Word of God continuously calls us to ecological justice through faithfully and genuinely living integral ecology. To live justly is to honour the sacredness, dignity, beauty and inherent relationships in all God’s handiwork. God loves and does justice for all God’s creation. So ought we. Living integral ecology and working for ecological justice also involves seeing the failure of humans to recognize the interconnectedness of all creation and our dependency on other living beings. It means recognizing our personal and societal  ecological injustice, and being willing to be transformed by grace. It means contributing to the healing and restoration of the natural world. It calls us to actively and creatively respond to both “the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth.”

The scriptures for the second Sunday of Lent don’t immediately appear to address ecological injustice; nor to call us to ecological justice. Yet, in Laudato Si’, Pope Francis taught that: “Ecology studies the relationship between living organisms and the environment in which they develop. This necessarily entails reflection and debate about the conditions required for the life and survival of society, and the honesty needed to question certain models of development, production and consumption. It cannot be emphasized enough how everything is interconnected” (LS §138, emphasis added).

Most of the human priorities in the more economically secure countries today create disharmony and an imbalance of possessions and resources. Meanwhile, those in less secure areas, including the other-than-human world, suffer exclusion, environmental degradation and destruction; a lack of adequate resources; and constant struggles for survival, a healthy life and social and communal well-being. How do we respond? St. Paul tells us: “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7) These are the gifts we need to take action, to radically change our consumer lifestyles in order that all may live.

Our response is not only to act, but also to participate in a journey.  To Abram, God said: “Go from your country, your kindred, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1) Abram journeyed from what was familiar, loved and valued to an unknown reality. This was possible only because he trusted the one who called him to leave. Our faith tells us that it is the same God who calls us to leave our security, our familiar comforts and possessions and travel to an inner land―a spiritual land―where we can see the injustices.  It’s a space where we need the honesty to question the imbalances, the harms that we are doing, and the injustices in the biased systems that we accept. Then, we need to have the courage and wisdom to act, to walk the necessary journey. It is a journey from indifference and inaction to ecological consciousness and a commitment of one’s whole life.

God promised that Abram would receive blessings and be a blessing. Like Abram, we will receive blessings as we decrease our ecological impact and work to create a more equitable world. We will be a blessing to those who will suffer less and receive more. We can―maybe will―be a blessing to the Earth, by reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and excess goods, engaging in climate action and contributing the work of Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada.

Finally, speaking of Jesus’s transfiguration, St. Matthew says: “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” (Matt. 17: 2) Jesus radiated light. The man, Jesus, with whom his disciples were familiar, was transfigured, revealing his identity as the Light. His divinity shone forth.

This can be a metaphor to help us. God dwells within all creation, sustaining it. Jesus gave his life for all creation. His spirit enlivens it. But we are not often conscious of this indwelling. It’s like we have eyes, but we don’t see the Light. His transfiguration transformed his clothes as well. They also shone with dazzling brilliance. Metaphorically, the clothes are all of creation itself. Because of God’s presence within it, it too shines with dazzling light that we don’t readily see. The transforming grace of ecological justice is the energy, and gift, that can empower us to see as God sees, care as God cares, and act justly as God does. With the psalmist we will say:

“He loves righteousness and justice;
 The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” (Ps. 33:5, 8)

This message for Lent and Ramadan has been issued by A Jerusalem Voice for Justice, a collective that serves as “an ecumenical witness for equality and a just peace in Palestine/Israel.” It follows their earlier missives published on our website last Christmas and Easter; upon last summer’s escalation in Israel’s war on Gaza; and following the UN Security Council’s recent endorsement of a deeply flawed “peace plan.” The collective’s members include His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, Emeritus Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the eminent Jesuit scholar, Fr. David Neuhaus, who was a panellist on a popular webinar on Palestine that Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada had organized in October 2024.

Jerusalem, February 18, 2026

Jerusalem: a message for our time of fasting

In these days, Christians begin their Lenten fast, which leads us to Holy Week and the glorious celebration of Easter. Our Muslim brothers and sisters also initiate their fast of the month of Ramadan. This means that we are all, Christians and Muslims, fasting together, each in our own way and according to our own beliefs. For us all, this period of fasting is a time of repentance and a return to the divine embrace. It is a spiritual journey that we experience in all its splendour and spirituality.

We seize the opportunity of this simultaneous fasting to emphasise together the spiritual, human, and moral values that unite us as believers in our God, Creator of heaven and earth. God is love, and God calls us to love our neighbor. We must live this love among ourselves, for the love that binds and unites us is our strength in defending our presence, our history, our holy sites, and the just cause of our people. We enter this Lenten/Ramadan season while our people endure a terrible ordeal, unceasing pain and sorrow, especially in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, which is surrounded by a separation wall and military checkpoints on all sides.

During this season, we raise our prayers pleading that God will remove these injustices suffered by our Palestinian people. Although faced with the cruelty we witness, we do recognise that there is a merciful, compassionate, and caring God to whom we turn in our pain, sorrow, and suffering. Let us pray together, Christians and Muslims, for all humanity and for the entire world, where we observe, in many places, a turning away from the noble spiritual and human values and principles we share.

During this season, let us call to mind every person who is suffering, tormented, and hungry. We remember those most in need, expressing our love for our fellow human beings, especially those who require an urgent helping hand. Christians and Muslims are fasting, and our fast is a message of love and fraternity, a reaffirmation of the values of faith, truth, justice, and true love that bind us together in this land, a land in which we live together, a land which also dwells in our hearts and souls.

We send our best wishes to all Christians and Muslims on the occasion of this season of fasting, accompanied by our prayers and supplications that the Lord God may have mercy on us, be compassionate towards us, and protect our land, our holy city, our holy sites, and, most of all, our Palestinian people. The Jerusalem we speak of, and the Palestine we defend, are not merely holy sites and inanimate stones; they are people. What is the value of stones without people? What is the value of holy sites without people? We want our holy sites to be vibrantly alive. We demand that our Palestinian people be able to access their holy places, especially during these sacred and holy times.

May our fast be accepted, accompanied by acts of love, mercy, solidarity, prayer, and supplication for the vulnerable, the oppressed, and the suffering, and for the prevention of war and its consequences, especially in this blessed part of the world.

Signatories:

• His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (emeritus)
• His Eminence Attallah Hanna, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia
• His Grace Munib Younan, Lutheran Bishop of Jordan and the Holy Land (emeritus)
• Mr. Yusef Daher
• Ms. Sawsan Bitar
• Mr. Samuel Munayer
• Ms. Dina Nasser
• Mr. John Munayer
• Ms. Sandra Khoury
• Rev. David Neuhaus, SJ
• Rev. Frans Bouwen, MAfr
• Rev. Firas Abdrabbo
• Mr. Sami El-Yusef
• Rev. Alessandro Barchi
• Mr. Rafi Ghattas
• and other members

Readings:

Genesis 2:7-9, 16-18, 25; 3:1-7
Psalm 51
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11

Repentance from personal and social sin

By Dr. Peter E. Baltutis, CWL Chair for Catholic Studies, St. Mary’s University, Calgary

The readings for the First Sunday of Lent all focus around the theme of sin in the world.

The First Reading from Genesis explains how sin first entered the world. After creating human beings and planting a garden where life can flourish (Gn. 2:7-9), God commanded the first humans to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gn. 2:16-18). Thus far, in Genesis 1-2, God has defined what is good and what is evil. But in Genesis 3, God gives humans the freedom of choice: are they going to trust God’s definition of good and evil or are they going to seize autonomy and define these terms for themselves? By disobeying God (Gn. 3:6), we see how the sin of Adam and Eve quickly spiralled out of control. The first casualty was human relationships. The man and woman suddenly realized how vulnerable they were; they could not even trust each other. They made clothes and hid their bodies from one another (Gn. 3:7).

In the Responsorial Psalm, we observe the second casualty of sin: alienation from God. Psalm 51 is a prayer of someone who is suffering deeply under the guilt of their sin and laments their estrangement from God. In the first two verses, the author begs God to “blot out” their transgressions and “wash (away)” their sin. Moreover, in the third and fourth verses, the psalmist asks for “a clean heart” and for a “new and right spirit” that would restore them back to right relationship with God.

In the Second Reading from Romans, Paul concludes that due to the “original sin” of Adam’s disobedience (Gn. 3:1-7), the power of sin has corrupted all humanity, which is now in open revolt against the Creator (Rom. 5:12-14). In the Gospel, we see that even Jesus is tempted by the devil to sin by rebelling against God (Mt. 4:1-11). However, Christ rejects the devil three times (Mt. 4:4, 7, 10). In each of his refusals, Jesus quotes from the Book of Deuteronomy (Dt. 8:3, 6:13, 16). This connection is intentional. The testing of Jesus recapitulates the experience of the people of Israel. In their wandering through the desert, Israel and its leaders had often failed God’s covenant. But Jesus, faithful Jew and faithful Son of God, will not fail despite the efforts of Satan to draw him away from his salvific mission. According to St. Paul, God’s act in Christ is in total contrast to the disastrous effects of the virus of sin and “so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:15-21).

What does all of this mean for us? We live in a fallen world full of sin. Individual sin―rejecting God’s definition of good and evil for our own―quickly spirals out of control. Personal sins also have social implications, alienating us from our fellow humans, as well as isolating us from God. St. John Paul II, in his 1987 papal encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern), further expanded on this insight and discussed the concept of “social sin” or “structures of evil.” This theological term refers to personal sins of individuals that are consolidated into structures that become the source of new sins for others (§36). Examples of this include laws, social structures or economic systems that violate human rights, victimize the powerless or institutionalize an unjust distribution of goods. St. John Paul II applied the term social sin to describe the growing gap between rich and poor nations, contrasting the superabundance enjoyed by a few with the desperate struggle for survival experienced by so many (§35-40). Pope Benedict XVI in this 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth) and Pope Francis in his 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) provided longer lists of evil social structures, including racial discrimination, imperialism, colonialism, militarism, environmental degradation, consumerism and exploitative economic relationships.

This Lent we are called to repentance. The reality of God’s Kingdom and the consciousness of living in a new and decisive age of salvation should move us to change our ways of thinking and our ways of acting. The touchstone of authentic repentance is good deeds. We need to reject sin in our personal lives (through the sacrament of reconciliation and through individual acts of charity) and in our social lives (by supporting the work of Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada, especially through the On Track for Justice campaign)!