Fifth week of Lent, April 6-12 | |
Five weeks into Lent. Forehead ashes are long gone. Perhaps too are some of the resolutions or promises we made. And yet we know Lent is more than a liturgical season; it’s a practice, and the shadow of the cross—that falls across our days and years—reminds us that the process of conversion is continual.
But we make a grave mistake if/when we think that Lent–and the invitation to conversion–is merely for personal spiritual gain. As we will see from Sunday’s gospel story and despite the turn toward isolationism of some world leaders, we are as part of each other’s lives as are Mary, Martha and their concern for Lazarus. Our good is only truly “good” when it is part of the common good.
The story of Lazarus invites us to reflect on the ultimate power of life over death. Jesus deliberately delays his arrival, allowing Lazarus to die, creating space for a greater revelation of God’s resurrection - power even over death! This passage challenges us to trust in God’s timing and to believe in the possibility of new life, even when all seems lost.
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When Jesus finally arrives, he weeps with Martha and Mary, demonstrating the deep compassion that is central to the Gospel message. Jesus does not stand apart from human suffering but enters fully into it. This provides a model for our own engagement with the suffering in our world — we are called not to distance ourselves but to listen, learn, allow it to affect us and eventually effect in us some response.
In our world today, we witness many forms of death: the destruction of war, the suffering caused by systemic injustice, the degradation of our planet and the despair that often accompanies these realities. The Lazarus story reminds us that when Jesus calls forth life, the community is instructed to “unbind him and let him go.” Pax Christi USA’s work for peace and justice is precisely this—participating in unbinding those who have been trapped by systems of violence and oppression.
The theme of “dying to live” speaks powerfully to our calling as peacemakers. Just as a seed must “die” to produce new life, so too must we be willing to let go of the ways of violence, domination, and self-interest that are so embedded in our culture. This “dying” is not about self-destruction, but about transformation—allowing God to reshape us into instruments of peace.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (John 12:24)
May our Lenten journey lead us through death to resurrection, through sacrifice to new life, through nonviolent resistance to the flowering of God’s peace.
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In Christ's peace,
Daniel Francis
Director of Development
Pax Christi USA
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God of life and resurrection, as we journey through this fifth week of Lent, draw us deeper into the mystery of dying to live. Teach us the courage of Jesus, who embraced suffering not as an end in itself, but as a pathway to transformation and new life.
Give us the faith to recognize the seeds of resurrection in our broken world and in our own lives. Sow in us the courage to “fall to the ground and die” to our comfort, our privilege, and our fear so that we might bear the fruit of justice and peace.
In times of trial and suffering, remind us that you are always faithful, that you walk with us through the shadow of death and into the light of resurrection. Amen.
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>> The Pax Christi USA community has been gathering on Monday evenings for a short Lenten prayer service over Zoom. The service lasts 30 minutes and includes reflection, readings, prayers of the faithful, music, and more. The final prayer service for this Lent is this Monday, April 7 at 8:30pm ET. Click here to register.
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Use this link to read “The real outrage in Yemen,” an essay by Kathy Kelly, Pax Christi USA’s 1998 Teacher of Peace. In Yemen, Kathy writes, “...one of every two children under the age of five is malnourished, ‘a statistic that is almost unparalleled across the world.’ UNICEF reports that 540,000 Yemeni girls and boys are severely and acutely malnourished, an agonizing, life-threatening condition which weakens immune systems, stunts growth, and can be fatal. …
“Since March 15, the United States has launched strikes on more than 40 locations across Yemen in an ongoing attack against members of the Houthi movement, which has carried out more than 100 attacks on shipping vessels linked to Israel and its allies since October 2023. ...
“The new round of US airstrikes has damaged critical ports and roads which UNICEF describes as 'lifelines for food and medicine,' and killed at least 25 civilians, including four children, in the first week alone. Of the 38 recorded strikes, 21 hit non-military, civilian targets, including a medical storage facility, a medical center, a school, a wedding hall, residential areas, a cotton gin facility, a health office, Bedouin tents, and Al Eiman University. The Houthis claim that at least 57 people have died in total. …”
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“The question is not whether it’s a genocide [in Gaza] or not, the question is why is this genocide being denied? This is the real question we need to ask and for me as a person of faith, as a pastor, I must ask: Why is the Church not calling it a genocide?” - Rev. Munther Isaac
On April 2, Rev. Munther Isaac, the pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, spoke at an event to launch his new book, “Christ in the Rubble” at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington DC.
Use this link to watch the recording of his powerful presentation – Rev. Isaac begins speaking at the 16:16 mark.
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April 11: Organize or join a World Day of Prayer for Peace in Sudan event: Sudan is currently facing one of the most severe and under-recognized humanitarian crises in the world. Since April 2023, the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has plunged the country into devastation. The situation has been exacerbated by targeted attacks on civilians, ethnic cleansing in Darfur, and the systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid. International bodies, including the United Nations and the African Union, have labelled Sudan as the worst humanitarian crisis globally. In the spirit of faith and solidarity, Pax Christi International is launching the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Sudan on Friday, April 11. The campaign website offers resources in English and Arabic, with separate booklets for communities and for faith leaders.
Join Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire in fasting for children of Gaza: Use this link to sign up for one or more days. Use this link to watch a video of Mairead explaining her reasons for start her fast.
April 10-May 9: Check out the annual Global Days of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), including the online Common Security Conference 2025: Redefining Security for the 21st Century, April 10-11.
Use this link to visit our Lent 2025 page to find resources for Holy Week and Good Friday. Check the list of resources to see links to NETWORK and other organizations to plan a Good Friday Stations of the Cross. Please share with us any plans for Holy Week and Good Friday so we can add them to the list.
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work for peace with justice, we'd be so grateful! Just click on the donation button to the right to give securely and quickly online. Thanks!
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Pax Christi USA
202-635-2741 | 415 Michigan Ave NE, Suite 340, Washington, DC 20017
www.paxchristiusa.org
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