My friend, Roman, is an artist and iconographer who lives in Kyiv, Ukraine. If you have attended Mass at Saint Ann Church or Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, then you have seen his work. Roman’s dazzling icon of the Holy Face of Christ is a favorite at Our Lady’s; and his compelling icons of Saint Peter and Saint Paul adorn the high altar at Saint Ann’s. In fact, Roman’s icons are displayed in homes, churches, and galleries all around the world. And we are blessed to be able to pray with some of them here.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, Roman said: “We woke up to sounds of explosions! Thank you for your prayers! With God’s help, we will survive!” For three years, our parishes have been praying for peace. Father Jim and I have kept in touch with our friend as best we can. Not long ago, Roman wrote: “The air raid alarm is sounded between seven and ten times every day. We are huddled in the basement. We are worried about the fate of our four children. There are no safe places now.” As we follow the coverage of this war from the safety of home, can we possibly appreciate the fear that consumes families in Ukraine? Can we possibly understand the destruction that continues to ravage Ukraine and its people?
Fear is not the only emotion expressed by our friend. Roman is justifiably angry at the Russian dictator and Russia’s armed forces. Despite everything, however, he remains a man of deep faith. Roman once said to us: “We pray for our country … as we have never prayed before! We hope for the support of the whole world! We also hope for your prayers!” Another friend, who also happens to be an iconographer, said: “We can only trust that God has a plan for Roman and his family.” In this spirit, we continue to hope, pray, and trust in God’s closeness, compassion, and tenderness.
More than one million people have been killed or wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine. But it is not the only place where war, hatred, and violence lay waste in our world. More than 50,000 men, women, and children have died during the horrific conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. Haiti, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Myanmar are all at war with themselves. Pope Francis has warned that we are fighting a “third world war in pieces.” He said: “If we could look each one of them in the eye, call them by name, and ask them to tell their personal story, we would see war for what it is: nothing but a horrific tragedy and needless bloodbath that undermines the dignity of every human being.”
Pope Francis is right. Behind every headline is a family. Behind every door is a real family with a unique story. Hopes and dreams. Pains and sorrows. Worries and anxieties. Moments of pure joy and great courage. Whether a family lives in Kyiv, Gaza, or Gloucester, it needs friends and loved ones to pray and work for peace. Not surrender. Not peace by coercion. Not peace at any price. Not peace imposed by fiat. Not peace wrought by insult and humiliation.
Dag Hammarskjöld once said: “Our work for peace must begin with the private world of each one of us. To build for humanity a world without fear, we must be without fear. To build a world of justice, we must be just.” We must set aside our grievances and prejudices. We must abandon our impulse to choose cruelty over kindness. We must become weavers of goodness and instruments of peace with every thought, word, and deed. Only then will we achieve the just and lasting peace for which the whole world longs.
Brother Patrick is a diocesan hermit and associate minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport. He can be reached at brpatrick@ccgronline.com. Midweek Musings rotates among Cape Ann clergy.