Lent

Alexey Navalny was surely a hero. Perhaps he was also a saint. Little evidence is available to buttress the hope that he might someday be recognized as such. Navalny, the Russian dissident who died/was murdered Feb. 16, spoke little of his conversion from militant atheism to Christian Orthodoxy during his abbreviated life.

Known by different names over the centuries — “anointing of the sick,” “extreme unction” and “last rites” — it was administered only at the point of death. The Church now teaches it “is not a sacrament intended only for those who are at the point of death. Hence, it is certain that as soon as any of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, this is already a suitable time for them to receive this sacrament.”

The world can be a cold, unfriendly, even hostile and angry place — online and offline. It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not supposed to be that way. God created an earthly paradise for us, but when we reject Him and His ways, we reject our true selves, each other and everything we’re actually longing for. We become prideful and selfish. Put a bunch of prideful and selfish people together and you have a recipe for guaranteed misery.

My family and I visited the Holy Land more than 40 years ago and witnessed discriminatory treatment of Palestinians. After 75 years of such treatment, the Oct.7 event should not be a surprise.

If posthumous praise could be turned into retroactive votes, the late Brian Mulroney might be poised for resurrection as Canada’s prime minister.

Timely Lenten advice from the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall website

Jesuit Fr. David Neuhaus, himself an Israeli citizen, is hosting a webinar to inform Catholics about the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza which comes on the heals of the broken down ceasefire talks between the parties. 

For the first time in five years, the Niagara Catholic District School Board is honouring education leaders with its Award of Distinction.

Three people were endorsed by the board at its Feb. 13 special board meeting — John Belcastro, Sr. Mary Kay Camp and Angelo Di Ianni. The trio will be presented their awards at the Niagara Foundation for Catholic Education Annual Benefit Gala March 21.

“I am here not to fight the Church — I am here to fight for a better Church,” says Professor Mariéle Wulf about her role as director of the Centre for Safeguarding Minors and Vulnerable Persons (CPCS) at Saint. Paul University in Ottawa.

I would dearly like to see a regular column by Rev. Andrew Bennett alongside Fr. Scott Lewis.