Like all wars, the war in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion in 2022, has caused great pain and loss. First-person accounts such as Sister Teodozija's help us to understand how such conflicts affect others and how we are challenged to be in solidarity with those in terrible situations, to recognize their suffering and to pray for them as part of the human family.
Helping students look outward and recognizing their common humanity with others fosters the virtue of solidarity, one of the central concerns of Catholic social teaching.
Having the students write prayers for others far away in conflict areas helps them recognize that we are all part of one family, all children of God, and our sisters and brothers need our concern and our prayers. While it is normal to turn away from suffering, students can learn to stand with those in pain, developing their capacities for compassion and deepening their own humanity through prayer as well as service.
Praying in solidarity
Share with your students that Pope Francis declared, "Through our perseverance in prayer, we gradually become a single 'heart and soul' with both Jesus and others, which then translates into solidarity and the sharing of our daily bread."
Ask students to search online for photos of young adults their own age who are suffering because of conflicts and wars. (The photos may also picture family members or community members.) Have them choose a photo, cut and paste it, and then write on the page a three-sentence prayer for those pictured. Allow 10-15 minutes for the photo search and prayer writing.
Then put students in groups of four to six; the students will show their photo, share what emotion it invokes for them, and share their prayer in these groups. You can put their photos and prayers around the room so all the students can look at all of them over a period of time.
What was it like to view pictures of young adults who are caught in conflicts?
If you were in the midst of a war, would it be meaningful to you that other human beings recognize what is happening to your family and your community? If so, why?
What was your experience writing and reading your prayer of solidarity?
What did you learn from the pictures and prayers of others in your group?
How does it expand your own humanity to recognize the human pain of others and to pray for them?
God, you have created us all in your image, and we are all your children. Help us to be fully human by acknowledging that we are one family and that we are called to stand with our sisters and brothers. Hold us in your loving embrace as we make room in our hearts to feel the pain of others and to reach out to them, pray for them, and stand with them in solidarity. Hear our prayers. Amen.
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