A Lenten Contrast to the Ukraine War

As a history buff, I have a certain perspective on the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. It’s a sobering one.

Being born just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, I grew up and spent much of my life during the Cold War. Between the late 1940s and the early 1990s, when the Berlin Wall finally came down, we (the USA) lived in an atmosphere similar to what we are experiencing now with the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.

During that time period we had numerous occasions to pray for different countries being attacked, persecuted, infiltrated, or supported by the Soviet Union (nowadays Russia) or its communist backed allies such as China.

It’s a long list and, as best I can remember, (in no particular order) it included: Malaya (now called Malaysia), Korea, Indo-China (eventually Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam), Burma, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Lebanon, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and many more that I am sure I have forgotten.

The threat of nuclear war always hung over us. Having been involved in the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, while in the Army, I know how close nuclear war came to being a reality. That same kind of threat hangs over us today.

While some of these conflicts had as an impetus the establishment of communism, they also had an old fashioned common denominator – Russian Imperialism. Russia’s desire for an empire and world influence has existed for centuries. We thought that since the Berlin Wall went down and the Soviet Union was dissolved that those days were over.

A wake up call to the world

The invasion of the Ukraine is a “wake up call” that we, unfortunately, will always be living in a dangerous world. History shows us that we will have wars and the threat of wars including nuclear ones. There will always be totalitarian regimes and leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Kim Jong-un, Pol Pot, Castro and Putin.

It is the age old history of our broken world. Many people live under the Utopian delusion that we humans can “fix” the world.  They think our creative genius and technologies can guarantee peace among nations. It is an image, as an old song states, that “It’s a big wide wonderful world.”

It really was a perfect and “wonderful” world as God created it in the beginning.  But sin changed all that a long time ago. We mortals can try to make it better, as we should. Advances in medicine, science, and democratic governments, for example, have contributed greatly to the common good.

The quest for peaceful relations among nations has had its ups and downs over the years.  It is, though, a needed and continuing endeavor. However, when it comes to armed human conflict, whatever the issue (greed, patriotism, land, control over others, ego, pride) the sinfulness of our human nature will continue to go on full display.  As the old adage says “The more things change the more things remain the same.”

A Lenten perspective on control

Perhaps it is providence that the Russian invasion of the Ukraine has occurred around Lent. It provides a telling contrast to Lent. I view Lent as a season of personal reflection about my relationship to God, not my relationship to world affairs.

Putin’s war on Ukraine highlights to me that what happens in the world is out of my control. As I watch the news, I get angry, sad and anxious.  All I can do is pray and support relief efforts to the Ukrainian people. In my 80+ years, I have seen many world crises come and go as they have throughout history.

God and my relationship to him, however, does not come and go. That relationship is always there for better or for worse. Lent raises the question – Am I journeying to be transformed to be more like Christ and to be closer to Christ? To live out Lent, is to not look at the world but into myself. In turn, it is about the things I can control – my vices and virtues.

The challenge during this Lent is to not be diverted by what is taking place in Ukraine.  It is a current ‘world affair’ that I have no control over.  Instead, I will try to focus on my relationship with God.  I will use Lent to be transformed for what I can control – to become more virtuous to love and serve God and neighbor as Jesus commanded.

I turned to the Lord God, to seek help, in prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes [Daniel 9:3].