“I give you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you.” These are the words of Jesus to His disciples the night before He died for us. It is a radical commandment. No longer just love those who love you or those who belong to your group, but to love including those who are difficult to love – those who are different from us, even those who disagree with us.

As we look at what is happening around the world, Jesus invites us to reflect on what LOVE means. When He speaks of love, Jesus uses it as a verb and He outlines how we should do that, “to do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who persecute you” (Luke 6: 27-28). Love is our trademark as Christians. Love is what makes us unique because in loving, we become like our Master who loved, even to the point of giving Himself to us.

Many of you have asked me if we will take up an offering to help the victims of violence and war especially for the people of Ukraine. Many people have been displaced, injured and lost their lives because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This weekend, we will have the opportunity to express our love, in a tangible way by helping our brothers and sisters victimized by this war.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is partnering with Catholic Relief Services in reaching out to the victims of this conflict. Below is information on how we can be of assistance:

URGENT NEED IN UKRAINE

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in recent weeks has increased its presence in Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Poland. CRS is supporting Caritas Ukraine by providing shelter, food and livelihood support for those displaced and affected by

the war. CRS is also helping Caritas partners in Moldova, Romania, and Poland to prepare for displaced people, mapping out a likely initial response and conducting assessment and planning sessions with its network near Ukraine’s borders.

How to Donate Donate online: support.crs.org/ukraine
Donate by phone: 1877HELPCRS
Donate by check: Ukraine Response, Catholic Relief Services, PO Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21297
How to Volunteer: Do you want to become a Caritas Poland/CRS Refugee Response Coordinator, working on the ground in Poland? Check this page

In addition to our donations, let us continue to pray that God’s peace and the spirit of reconciliation will prevail. Let us also ask Mary, the Queen of Peace, to intercede for us. May She who bore the incarnate Love of the Father guide us in our pursuit for peace.