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Hector wrote: |
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Hi, guys —
I hope everyone is doing well this Holy Week.
I'm writing in an attempt to gain understanding, from your point of view, regarding the Russia/Ukraine war. Our faith leads us to care for all of God's children and more for those suffering due to the violence of war, but I have questions:
- Has Ukraine brought these evils upon themselves, and who are we to interfere if this is God's wrath?"
According to the Pew Research Center, Russia continues to increase in believers in Christ, while Ukraine (very much like the example led by the United States) continues to lose members of the Christian faith.
This war appears to be opposite of the traditional Christian persecution pattern, Russia being the greater believer and Ukraine the proud people falling away from Christ.
Please let me know your thoughts.
My prayers are for God's Mercy on us and on the whole world.
Vivat Jesus,
Hector
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| { Has Ukraine brought these evils upon themselves, and if it's God's wrath, who are we to interfere? } |
Bob replied:
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Dear Hector,
I would say that even though faith is increasing in Russia (a welcome change to the oppression that happened under the former system), we should still support peace and especially the poor victims of war, namely the people of Ukraine.
God certainly allows war as a punishment for sin, as our Lady of Fatima told us, but it is a tragedy that befalls all of us, and we must strive to help the suffering. We must have compassion and not simply resign them to those guilty of incurring God's Justice. We can recognize the fault and folly of their doings as a whole, but we cannot judge any individual, and there are many faithful in Ukraine along with the spiritually lost.
The political and social errors of Ukraine are very much like those of the West, and here in the USA. It is also evident that the western powers have shifted away from the COVID crisis to the new crisis of war to advance their globalist agenda. They seem all too eager to ramp up the war rather than de-escalate things and bring about peace.
This is all diabolical and puts us all in danger. The only solution we have is to pray and sacrifice as Our Lady requested, for we too could be victims of war. If preternatural forces are at work, only supernatural forces can defeat them. God must be Our Champion. Therefore, pray for Ukraine, Russia, and peace throughout all the world, because only God can turn events toward peace.
Peace,
Bob Kirby
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Eric replied:
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Hector,
All the numbers I have seen indicate that Ukraine's faith is much stronger than Russia's in terms of percentage of Christians who actually attend Divine Liturgy every week. Russia's rate of Baptism might be higher, but the vast majority of them do not attend Divine Liturgy, in contrast with those living in Ukraine.
Even if it were true that Ukraine was "falling away", that does not justify neglecting them.
I went to a priest for advice once on whether to support a poor person I knew who, by all appearances, probably brought his penurious situation on himself. The priest told me that if I supported him, I might be depriving him of a lesson God was trying to teach him and preventing him from reaching the rock bottom he needed for conversion.
However, I ultimately decided that it's cruel and un-Christian to consign the poor to abject poverty, under the judgment that if they are having a bad time, they deserve it. That's not what the Gospel teaches us. The Gospel teaches us to help the poor regardless of whether we think they "deserve" to be poor.
I think a similar argument could be made for Ukraine. We can't pass judgment and say that we should not help them (at least in a humanitarian sense) because they "deserve" what they got.
- Does God only give grace to those who "deserve" it, or does He not give grace to those who do not?
Eric
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Hector replied to Bob:
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Bob,
Thank you very much for your reply.
I pray for strength to be a part of the supernatural force that heals the hearts of our suffering brothers and sisters.
Hector
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Hector replied to Eric:
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Hi Eric,
Thank you for your reply, although I would say that Baptism demonstrates a greater faith since over 70% percent of our practicing brothers and sisters do not believe that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist.
I do agree with you regarding our humanitarian obligation but I also know that Jesus did not wash the feet of Judas.
It must be because of what your priest said. If we continue to arm Ukraine it will only prolong and grow pain and suffering beyond their borders.
Our Blessed Mother is looking for the consecration of each and every one of our hearts all around the world. And if we don't consecrate our hearts, I believe what our Mother means to say is then God would use Russia to spread evil (the wrath of God) throughout the world.
- Does this make more sense than the Pope's Russian consecration to anyone else?
- How can our Pope possibly perform this consecration?
Only the Russian heart can consecrate itself, and our Orthodox brothers and sister already hold our Blessed Mother in the highest of seats alongside our Savior.
My prayers are for healing of all the hearts that suffer due to war.
Thank you kindly,
Hector
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