The dispatches from war-torn Ukraine are devastating. Stories of children being killed and buried in mass graves and the bombing of innocent people seeking shelter in a theater reveal the presence of evil in our world. In times like these, people ask, “Where is God? Why isn’t God answering our prayers for the people of Ukraine?” Our readings this Sunday reflect similar atrocities, injustices, and oppression. They remind us, though, that God knows what we are suffering and responds. Not with a wave of a divine hand or a magic wand, but with a person. In the first reading, it is Moses. In the gospel, it is Jesus who shares a parable about a patient gardener who reveals a God always desiring to give us another chance. God is the patient gardener who seeks to cultivate the holy ground of our being so that one day in the not-too-distant future we will harvest the fruits of justice and peace.

As the war in Ukraine rages on and the death toll rises, the Russian invasion reveals how evil can disfigure the face of the earth. This Sunday’s gospel tells the story of the transfiguration of Jesus, showing his disciples the glory that awaits them even as Jesus will endure the suffering and death of the cross. The readings this Sunday encourage us to be “agents of transfiguration” as we seek to work with God so that injustice is transfigured into justice and peace. Through the grace of God, our challenge is to transfigure the face of the earth that is so often disfigured by evil, hatred, war, and oppression.

The news of the past few weeks have been filled with stories of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The season of Lent begins under these ominous clouds of war and in our gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, Jesus is involved in his own battle in the wilderness as he confronts the forces of evil. His only weapon is the Word of God. As Saint Paul says in the second reading, “The word is near you, on your lips and in your hearts.” May we allow God’s Word to come closer to us than it’s ever been before during this Lenten season. Spend time each day with the Scripture readings for the day. Allow them to penetrate deep into our souls and shape our lives. As Jesus entered the wilderness to battle the forces of evil, Lent invites us to enter deeply the paschal mystery by immersing ourselves in the Word of God. And as we do, we hold the people of Ukraine close to our hearts in prayer and solidarity.