Prayer • Study • Action

Week 2, March 1-7

Greetings!

Lent is a sacred time for quiet reflection. A time for fasting and prayer. But what should we fast from and how and for whom should we pray?

For 17 long and torturous months we have watched the indiscriminate destruction of Gaza and rampant taking of lives all in the name of “self-defense.” It has taken a genocide for the world to wake-up to the realities of decades of military occupation, abuse and flagrant discrimination experienced by Palestinians; a slow, deliberate eroding of their human rights and dignity.

Should this not be a focus of our lament? Can Lent 2026 be the time when we will repent with action?

As Pax Christi International co-president Bishop Jose Colin Bagforo said in his remarks about the confluence of Lent and Ramadan, “In a world marked by violence and division, this moment calls us not only to pray for peace, but to live it and work for it.”

Rateb Rabie of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation writes, “May this sacred time deepen our faith, strengthen our solidarity, and move us beyond words into meaningful action. May we pray not only for patience and endurance, but for justice, for peace and for a free Palestine.”

• PRAY •

Dear Lord,

Let us open our ears to the cries of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

Let our hearts and minds lead us to stand in solidarity, especially with our Christian siblings in the land we call holy.

Let us be fervent in our advocacy and tenacious in demanding what we know to be right and just.

Let us understand that this is the Kairos moment when we are called to go beyond lament and repentance and make possible that all God’s children wake on Easter morning to new life.

Amen

"… In the mountains of Galilee, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Jerusalem, our God walked as human flesh. While looking towards the mountains of the land, we cry for the help of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the same mountains bear restrictions, checkpoints, and detours. Our holy land now stands as a place that is sacred ground, yet also marked by a sacrificial experience.

"May the faithful turn our hearts towards our God this season, because help does not come from human power, but from God who made heaven and earth. Look with mercy on the families in Palestine, whose coming and going is burdened by the delays, denials, and painful separation from their families and holy sites. Preserve their lives, gather their steps, and sustain them with steadfast love. As Holy Easter approaches, let us remember that your Son led us from the despair of the tomb into the light of his holy resurrection. God alone is our refuge and deliverance. Amen."

Giselle Soares, Churches for Middle East Peace

Monday night prayer services during Lent

Join Pax Christi USA for a 30-minute prayer service each Monday in Lent -- March 2 (with a special focus on Palestine), March 9, March 16, March 23, and March 30, 8:30-9 PM Eastern. Use this link to register with Zoom -- you will be automatically registered for each session.

• STUDY •

• ACT •

It may feel as though there is little we can do but nothing could be farther from the truth. We DO have agency and it is our responsibility to use it.

Today there are several bills in Congress that demand our attention. Your voice is your power. Midterms are coming: be relentless in pestering your Congressional representative to co-sponsor or at least vote yes on these bills (see below, courtesy of PeaceAction.)

And don’t forget to be attentive to what is happening in your state legislature and school boards. Numerous bills and resolutions are being pushed through under the guise of fighting antisemitism or defeating terrorism but are nothing more that attempts to quash free speech when it is used to advocate for Palestinian rights. 

S.3634 - AWARE Act

• Introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden on January 14. This bill expresses a sense of Congress condemning the conduct of the Netanyahu government in Gaza, and impose US diplomatic sanctions on government officials in Israel or other nations if the US government determines they are responsible for restricting, undermining, or obstructing humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza or elsewhere around the world
• Sen. Wyden’s press release on bill’s introduction

HR 3565 - Block the Bombs Act

• By introducing this bill, Members of Congress are proactively trying to block the Trump administration from delivering major US weapons to Israel–bombs, tank rounds, and artillery shells–which it has used in its mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza. (US law prohibits security assistance to foreign militaries that have committed gross violations of human rights.)
• Block the Bombs campaign website including list of 61 current co-sponsors
• FCNL’s Block the Bombs legislative ask

H. Res. 876 - Recognizing the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza

• Introduced in November by Rep. Rashida Tlaib; currently has 21 cosponsors.
• See this multi-org Punish Genocide campaign site to send letters to Congress supporting the resolution - use this link to go to the Institute for Middle East Understanding website and choose "Punish Genocide" under the "Take action" tab on the menu.

HR 3045 and S.2667 - West Bank Violence Prevention Acts of 2025

• Introduced in the Senate by Sen. Cory Booker, currently with 27 cosponsors.
• Introduced in the House by Rep. Jerry Nadler currently with 117 cosponsors.

> Click here to find additional resources for prayer, study and action throughout Lent.