Dear Friends of Pax Christi International,

Lent begins today and so does our contemplative journey. Before we welcome you to the first stop of the journey, we encourage you to join Pope Francis’ call for prayer and fasting to end the war in Ukraine.
May this Ash Wednesday be a day to reflect on and return to the right path!
 
Starting today and for the next six weeks, our Listen for Lent journey will encourage each of us to take pause and listen for the prophetic voices around us on different themes at the heart of Pax Christi's mission.
 
This week we invite you to meditate on transformation. Whether it’s about preventing conflicts or changing our lives, transformation is one of the pillars of our work. With the help of our members and partners around the world, Pax Christi International is contributing to the transformation of violence and violent conflicts into dialogues for peace and justice. At the same time, we have witnessed a profound personal transformation among the people we have introduced to nonviolence through our work.

As Pope Francis once said, "The Holy Spirit truly transforms us. With our cooperation, the Spirit also wants to transform the world we live in."

God is still speaking transformation, will you listen?
Sunday's reflection by Sister Teresia Wamũyũ Wachira (IBVM)
The readings of today, remind us of God who hears “our voice and looks on our affliction… our labor and our oppression.” (Deut. 26:7). In the Gospel reading, Jesus is tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Luke; 4:1-13). Through prayer and fasting, Jesus has the power to reject, as it were, the temptation to greed (… command the stone to be bread… - Luke; 4:4); the temptation to be all powerful (… if you will worship before me all will be yours… - Luke; 4:7); the temptation to be spectacular and do the impossible (… throw yourself from here… - Luke 4:9).
Let us reflect on what the different temptations that the devil placed before Jesus and his response to each one means for us today. Where in my life am I experiencing the temptation to greed and consumerism? … to be all powerful by stepping on others or disregarding their voices because of their vulnerabilities? … to do the spectacular before others so that I can attract their attention, they can look up to me or so that I can save my ego? Let us open our hearts and respond in humility to God who calls us out of our ‘comfort zones’ and also responds to our vulnerabilities. Let us begin this Lenten journey in prayer and fasting, asking God to free and transform us in the daily choices we make, that contribute to our own and others brokenness. Come our loving God, journey with us…
Join us next week for the second stop!