As a native of Maryland, it is impossible for me to forget the Feast of the Annunciation as March 25 is also Maryland’s Day — a state holiday that marks the arrival of Father Andrew White on St. Clement’s Island in Chesapeake Bay.
The immigrants aboard the Arc and the Dove came to Maryland because the colony provided a refuge for Catholics and other Christians from the turmoil of the Protestant Revolution in England. They were seeking freedom that would allow them to practice their faith and to live in peace. How fitting that their first experience of it was on the Feast of the Annunciation.
The Annunciation — that moment of the Incarnation when the Word became flesh — was a quiet encounter between the angel and Mary. It was a moment without fanfare, fitting for the Queen of Peace who was carrying the Prince of Peace.
Our encounters with the Lord during Lent should mirror the quiet of the Annunciation. We encounter our Lord in Mass and confession. Here, the Word of God can take root in our lives, making an impact upon what we say and do.
It’s where peace, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, begins to reign in our hearts if we are open to it. If we are, we will allow the Word made flesh to live in us and to affect the world in which we live.
Our psalm refrain from this past Sunday’s Mass — “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” — could not have been timelier as each of us prays about and reflects upon the war in Ukraine.
My family heritage is Lithuanian. At the turn of the 20th century, my great-grandparents immigrated from Lithuania to escape difficulties they experienced under the Russian Empire. Like the people who arrived at St. Clement’s Island in 1634, my ancestors were seeking a place of peace for their families. That kind of journey is a thread in many families’ histories.
As we witness the horrendous impact from the brutality of war due to geopolitical decisions being made, we realize that the oppressor has no concern for human life. The deaths, devastation and displacement of millions of Ukrainians are understandably a cause of international frustration and anger.
War is a result of the brokenness caused by original sin and personal sin throughout history. Together, they cause damage to relationships on personal, communal, national and international levels.
While each generation echoes the words from Pope St. Paul VI’s 1965 address to the United Nations — “Never again war, never again war!” — we continue to revisit it. We can’t control those who gain power and who are averse to the pope’s admonition to allow peace “to guide the destiny of nations of all mankind.” We don’t know what can be done to remedy the collision of so many factors rooted in the human condition of history.
However, each of us is called to remedy the disruptions in our own hearts. Thus, we can use the remainder of Lent to seek peace at its core. This comes through our reconciliation with God, with those we have hurt and with those who have hurt us. It is the result of our willingness to intentionally overcome sin and the evil it causes.
As we make personal and world peace a priority in our lives, praying for the people of Ukraine and contributing to the relief efforts on their behalf, let us take to heart the words of St. Pope John XXIII:
“May Christ banish from the souls of men whatever might endanger peace. May he transform all men into witnesses of truth, justice and brotherly love. May he illumine with his light the minds of rulers, so that, besides caring for the proper material welfare of their peoples, they may also guarantee them the fairest gift of peace” (“Pacem in Terris,” 171).