Eagle & Serpent

DEAR Friend, I think it’s quite incredible. In the face of the immense tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, one of the main things many countries have managed to think about, after humanitarian, economic and military aid to the assailed country, is their own rearmament. As if it were obvious that peace can only be guaranteed by the largest number of weapons a nation possesses, preferably nuclear. And all this even though the facts have shown us clearly that nuclear arsenals are by no means an effective deterrent. In fact, when an aggressor possesses them, as in the case of Russia, any military intervention to defend the attacked is unthinkable, because that would cause the end of the world.

Obviously, war is the masterpiece of the Prince of Darkness, because it not only destroys, kills, massacres, and causes pain and weeping, but it also generates a tsunami of hatred that little by little involves not only those who are fighting, but also those who helplessly witness such massacres. This is hatred that will remain in the hearts of millions of people for many years, and that will in turn generate more hatred.

“Those who wage war, those who provoke war,” Pope Francis said, “forget humanity. They do not start from the people, they do not look at the real life of people, but place partisan interests and power before all else. They trust in the diabolical and perverse logic of weapons, which is the furthest from the will of God. And they distance themselves from ordinary people, who want peace, and who are the real victims in every conflict, who pay for the follies of war with their own skin.” What can we Christians do in the face of this terrible situation? What can we do to counteract the diabolical activity of the Lord of Darkness also in our own lives? I think we can learn something very important from the eagle.

The eagle does not fight the snake on the ground; it changes the battlefield by taking the snake up into the sky, and then kills it in flight. The snake has no stamina, no power and no balance in the air. It is useless, weak and vulnerable unlike on the ground, where it is powerful, wise and deadly.

So, like the eagle, we should never limit ourselves to fighting the Evil One in the physical realm, we should take the fight to the realm of the Spirit, especially through prayer and meditation. In fact, many decisions that can really change things here on earth are made in Heaven. And it is precisely to bring the terrible tragedy of the Russian invasion of Ukraine into the realm of the Spirit that Pope Francis decided to consecrate these two nations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in St Peter’s Basilica on 25 March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

“This is no magic formula, but a spiritual act,” explained Pope Francis. “It is an act of complete trust on the part of children who, amid the tribulation of this cruel and senseless war that threatens our world, turn to their Mother, reposing all their fears and pain in her heart and abandoning themselves to her. It means placing in that pure and undefiled heart, where God is mirrored, the inestimable goods of fraternity and peace, all that we have and are, so that she, the Mother whom the Lord has given us, may protect us and watch over us.”

Therefore, let’s unite our prayers to those of Pope Francis, as we strive to respond with generosity to the concrete needs of our brothers and sisters, whose lives have been disrupted by this terrible conflict, and always trust in the help of Mary, the Queen of Peace.