Throughout the Lenten season, we are posting reflections for holy days and Sundays. These reflections are taken from this year’s Lenten reflection booklet, Peace compels us, which includes all-new reflections written by Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. and Michael Angel Martin, and from previous Lenten reflection booklets, like the one below, written by Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace and former national coordinator (executive director) Anne McCarthy, OSB in 2017 for that year’s Lenten booklet, Reconciliation with justice, which she co-wrote with Bernadette O’Neill.
Click here to see all reflections as they are posted as well as links to other Lenten resources on our Lent 2026 webpage.
REFLECTION FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, March 22, 2026
by Anne McCarthy, OSB
Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace
Former National Coordinator
Originally published in 2017
Ezekiel 37:12-14 | Romans 8:8-11 | John 11:1-45
“’Take away the stone,’ Jesus directed. Martha said, ‘Rabbi, it has been four days now. By this time there will be a stench.'”— John 11:39
Most of us will deny death, pretend it away, or move in the other direction from it. “Think positively,” we tell those with a terminal diagnosis, instead of accepting the end is imminent for them. Martha’s reluctance to face death is evident here, compounded by the reality of the overwhelming stench. But Jesus insists that they take the stone away, stand at the mouth of the tomb, and get close to death so he is able to call forth life.
The White Helmets in Syria do exactly that. When the bombs fall and bodies are blown apart, instead of fleeing for shelter, they run towards the blast. Unarmed, their mission is to go into the midst of hell and rescue the wounded. Images of them carrying wounded children have captivated the world. These volunteers come from all walks of life and, since 2014, include teams of women. They care for all the injured, of any faith, age, or gender. Anyone in need finds a lifeline from the White Helmets, because they pledge commitment to the principles of “humanity, solidarity, and impartiality.”
The violence they run towards is overwhelming. In some Syrian neighborhoods, more than 50 bombs fall each day – usually from government helicopters. The most common targets are bakeries and markets, and the areas where care is given to the injured from a previous blast. The White Helmets also risk their lives to rescue the bodies of government soldiers to give them a proper burial. Over 60,000 injured have been rescued, but over 140 White Helmets have died.
In Erie PA, in neighborhoods where gun violence prevails, nonviolent teams, called Blue Coats, are a presence outside the junior high and high schools. Pledged to nonviolence and steeped in prayer, they learn these students’ names and encourage them. Every school day they reduce violence, support education, and give young people respect, dignity, and positive attention.
The White Helmets and Blue Coats teach us that gospel nonviolence requires that we move towards suffering and death in the effort of supporting life. We have to get close to death and pain, and maybe even experience it ourselves, in order to create a more peaceful world.
For reflection
- Can you imagine yourself in the place of a White Helmet, to see yourself running toward danger and death? How do you feel? What would motivate you to run toward danger and death? Explain. Do you have experience moving toward suffering and death? Did you find life? In what way?
>> Join us on Monday, March 23, for the next Pax Christi USA Lenten prayer service for 2026. Click here to register.