Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday. It’s Odin’s Day, etymologically speaking. We’re a day past the Ides of March and just ahead of St. Patrick’s Day.
Ukraine
Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a virtual address to the U.S. Congress as the Russian war on his country intensifies. Zelenskyy will speak to members of the House and Senate, livestreamed for the public.
Last week, on Saturday (March 12), 19 rabbis from the New York region boarded a flight to Warsaw and from there planned to travel to the Ukrainian border to deliver medical supplies and offer comfort to Ukrainians fleeing their country.
A somber Pope Francis on Sunday (March 13) issued his toughest condemnation yet of the invasion of Ukraine, saying the “unacceptable armed aggression” and “massacre” must stop.
Finally, a Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam has announced it is to split with the Moscow patriarchate, in the first known instance of a western-based church cutting ties over the invasion of Ukraine.
In Other News
On a happier, hopeful note, Salvadorans in the United States hope the beatification of Father Rutilio Grande and his companions will inspire the church to honor their memory by focusing on the poor and marginalized. About half a million Salvadorans fled to the U.S. in the 1980s.
A new Pew Research Center survey finds that low pay, a lack of opportunities for advancement and feeling disrespected at work are the top reasons why Americans quit their jobs last year.
A proposed law to allow for the exhumation of the remains of 796 babies at a former institution for unmarried mothers in Ireland is drawing criticism from campaigners who say it doesn’t go far enough.
Just For Fun
Where do you fit in the political typology? Are you a Faith and Flag Conservative? Progressive Left? Somewhere in between? Take this quiz HERE to find out.
Finally, as Lent began in 1946, students in American Catholic schools were treated to a new publication. A comic book called “Treasure Chest of Fun & Fact” extolled the value of Lent, showed how salt was made and detailed the founding of the state Maryland — the most Catholic-friendly of the 13 original colonies. It also told stories of the Robinson family turning their basement into a “rumpus room,” Navy salvage diver Skee Barry and Chuck White, who moved with his father to a new town and tried to stay on the straight and narrow.