By Fr. Roy Tablizo
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the last thing we want to happen in our lifetime. We have barely overcome the Covid virus and now we face this threat to world peace. It is clear that peace is fragile in all corners of the world.
The response of the Western world to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has now prompted President Vladimir Putin to put on alert his nuclear arsenal. This was never foreseen a few months ago. Now world peace hangs in the balance because one misstep can suddenly create a domino effect into the relationships of the countries around the world.
The question remains where will this situation will lead us to?
I do not intend to look at the political and social dimension of the issue. I would rather prefer to look at the spiritual aspect of the problem. The situation calls for us to look at the interior dimension of our life. The fragility of world peace reminds us that there is more into our life than full satisfaction of our bodily senses. There is more to life than what we see with our naked eyes. The challenge is clear that we are equally responsible for the wellbeing of another.
The world has recorded countless wars in history but it only reminds of one basic issue: it reflects the weakness of mankind. We are continuously educated by history that the weakness of man drives humanity backward. The progress we have achieved in the last 80 years after the Second World War is under threat because of this recent attack on Ukraine.
Where do we go from here? The decisions that our leaders will make in the next few days, weeks or months can either stop further violence or make the situation worse. For us, the common people, we are at the mercy of their decision.
I suggest that we turn our attention to our spiritual journey rather than allow ourselves to be swallowed by fear of death and war. The only positive thing about the current situation is that we are in the beginning of the Lenten season. It literally reminds that we were made from the dust and we shall be returning into it.
I write this reflection on the eve of Ash Wednesday. The Catholic Church invites us to accompany Jesus in his journey to the desert. In the desert, we are stripped of any form of convenience: food, water and other basic comfort. We find ourselves alone with God, this is what Jesus wanted us to do in the desert. To forget all the chaos and dangers of our world and investigate the quality of our relationship with God.
This time calls us to be alone with God. In the desert we are faced with the spiritual realities that we need to learn – how to say no to the desires of our flesh. Life is not just the satisfaction of our flesh. The first temptation of Jesus was about bread which signifies the satisfaction of our senses. We cannot allow ourselves to be dominated by food, sex and material things. Jesus teaches that we have to learn how to say no because our life is meant for a greater purpose because the satisfaction of the desires of our soul is the primary agenda of our earthly existence.
The second temptation is the worship of wealth. Our society today worship wealth as if it is the primary purpose of our existence. Jesus teaches us that wealth can never buy our entrance to heaven. The third temptation is worship of power. The word of God is definitely more powerful than all the tyrants of the world combined. The final temptation of man is about pride; we consider ourselves as more important than God. We behave, we are in control of our lives, we can do what we want.
Please remember that every second of our life draws us closer to our grave. We may not feel it now but certainly time will catch up with us and eventually we will vow to the limits of our physical strength, and death will triumph in the end. Hence, let us turn ourselves to Jesus and pursue the kingdom of God relentlessly.
About the author:
Fr. Roy is the parish priest at St Columba’s Parish in South Croydon. He was ordained in the Philippines in October 1995. He pursued his post graduate studies in the UK and whilst studying, was attached to St Thomas More in East Dulwich. He was appointed parish priest of South Maidstone where he stayed for 6 years before being appointed to St. Columba’s in September 2017.
