Art by Ukranian child, a new refugee given shelter in the Benedictine monastery in Otwack, Poland. Printed with permission.
As I write this I am sick to my stomach from the horror of what is happening to the people of Ukraine.
The images and stories of the violence being wrought against her citizens reveal a blatant, outrageous defiance of God’s commandment to love our neighbors.
The situation is so astoundingly, stunningly horrific that it is difficult to find words to preach or pray.
Whenever I am at a loss for how to respond as a follower of Jesus Christ and the Way of Love, I go back to the beginning: baptism.
Step 1: Renounce the Evil Powers
“Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?”
This is one of the questions in the baptismal covenant for Episcopalians; your denomination’s is probably similar.
The response to that question is “I renounce them.”
To “renounce” means to repudiate, proclaim against, and abandon a previous avenue of pursuit.
To renounce is a declaration in thought, word, and deed that we will not take part in evil and will actively choose a different path than one of destruction.
However, to renounce evil at our baptism does not mean the renunciation is one and done.
We are to repudiate evil whenever we see the destruction of God’s beloved creatures—like we see in Ukraine.
To be a follower of Jesus is to renounce those who are threatening children with this violence, separating them from their parents, and killing God only knows (literally) how many.
To be a follower of Jesus is to renounce the powers who are driving millions of people to flee for their lives.
To be a follower of Jesus is to renounce those who are exploiting and profiting from this invasion.
To be a follower of Jesus is to renounce these evils: to name them. Proclaim them. Preach them.
To proclaim “This is evil, and as followers of Jesus we denounce it,” is a necessary first step.
Step 2: Keep Going
We start with renunciation, but we don’t stop there.
In the same way that a sincere, repentant confession is followed by amendment of life, sincere, courageous renunciation of evil is followed by embodying the way of love.
But what does that look like?
The catechism in The Book of Common Prayer (p. 848) provides guidance.
Eminently practical and preachable, incorporate one or more into your sermons to show how we can embody our love of neighbor—all of them.
Honor those in authority and meet their just demands
The world has reacted to this crisis by imposing economic consequences against Russia at an unprecedented rate and severity.
Nations, businesses, and financial markets are imposing sanctions or divesting themselves to put pressure on the government and its wealthier citizens.
Those sanctions are already affecting all of us, from rising gasoline prices to lengthened supply chains already disrupted by the pandemic.
The effects on our wallets and convenience remind us that to be Christian is to be part of a global Body who share the sacrifice in support of the powerless.
Work and pray for peace
Pray for the wisdom of all governmental representatives around the world. They are people who have impossible amounts of stress and responsibility. Pray that they see clearly and have the courage to act justly.
Pray for peace so that we don’t forget those who have none. By keeping people who are constantly in harms’ way in our prayers we are moved away from complacency and towards creative acts of peace-making.
Bear no malice, prejudice, or hatred in our hearts
We also pray for those who are destroying God’s beloved.
We pray that their hearts will be changed to repent of the evil forces that have corrupted them.
Citizens of Russia, those in their own country and those abroad, are not responsible for these acts. They too are also powerless. Russian persons abroad are being harassed and scapegoated as others vent their anger and frustration.
As followers of Jesus we do not hate any whom God loves and for whom Jesus came—which is everyone.
Be kind to all creatures of God
To be a follower of Jesus is sometimes pretty simple.
Act kindly. Speak kindly. Behave patiently and compassionately.
Call a neighbor who immigrated from Russia and check on them.
Bring supper to a Ukrainian family.
Buy some gift cards to your local gas station and hand one to each person who complains about the higher gas prices.
Seek justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all people
The Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery in Otwack, Poland. Here, a sister, a refugee herself, helps refugee children. Printed with permission.
Financially support relief agencies on the borders of Ukraine.
Relate the story of Jesus’s parents—refugees in Egypt because their first-born son was hunted by a dictator—to the plight of political refugees everywhere.
Ask your congregation: if they were refugees, what help would they hope would come from the nations of the world and Christians in distant countries?
Which sister parishes or agencies are offering direct aid whom you can support? (See below to support this monastery and the sisters and children they have taken in.)
Do not mislead others by our silence
Renouncing evil may need follow-through, but it’s an exquisitely important first step.
When we are silent we infer that things are OK as they are.
Followers of Jesus are called to point fingers at what is evil and demonstrate the alternative.
Jesus was hanged between the powers of evil and those whom evil seeks to destroy, yet embraced them all.
We are, all of us, complicit with evil, and even bearers of it at times.
At other times we are its targets.
Jesus forgives all.
Jesus “compassions” all.
So much so, in fact, that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
If nothing else, we can urge our listeners not to mislead by being silent about that.
If you would like to support the monastery in Otwack, Poland, you can send donations to their American counterpart who have created an account for this purpose.
They may write a check to our attention:
Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, Add: Ukraine in memo.
Our address is:
Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict
350 Cuba Hill Rd.
Huntington NY, 11743
Thank you and God bless all the people of good will.
Sr. Jolanta, OSB