Praying for Ukraine and Russia

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War is never the answer. 

It makes orphans of children. 

It makes widows and widowers of men and women. 

It separates families, crushes dreams, destroys life-long ambitions.

It cripples, disables, suffocates, 

It can seem to justify evil and violence. 

However war can bring out goodness, solidarity, a commitment to stand with those suffering, struggling, fleeing, despairing- those seeking simply to survive. It brings with us the plea to recognise that we are all interconnected on the journey of life, we are brothers and sisters.

The word for peace in Ukrainian (мир) is the same as the word for peace in Russian (мир).Peace, siochain, pax, paz- say it in whatever language you want but say it. As brothers and sisters, we need peace. 

Photo is a modern day Pieta. Olha Zapotochna and her three-year-old son, Arthur, who is gravely ill with cancer, after crossing the border from Ukraine into Poland. Thank you Lord for all those, including our own Sisters, who are opening their hearts and homes to reach out to people fleeing from Ukraine. 

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