March 3, 2021
Posted by ICTC on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 2:17 PM PST
Sign of the Times
Journeys of Transformation
We are two weeks into the Lenten season - a time of intentional prayer, re-examination and a journey towards transformation. As Pope Francis has written:
"A journey always involves a transformation, a change. After a journey, we are no longer the same. There is always something new about those who have made a journey: they have learned new things, encountered new people and situations, and found inner strength amid the hardships and risks they met along the way. No one worships the Lord without first experiencing the interior growth that comes from embarking on a journey."
May this Lenten season be the catalyst for the healing and transformation of ourselves, our communities, our nation, the world, and creation.
A journey of transformation that is especially resonant right now is that of Sr. Dianna Ortiz, OSU, who died on February 19 at the age of 62. As we celebrate Women's History Month in March, and specifically International Women's Day on March 8, we remember Sr. Ortiz, known for her international anti-torture activism following her own kidnapping and torture in Guatemala in 1989.
Ortiz spent her life advocating for torture victims around the world, as well as petitioning the U.S. government to release details about the events leading to her own horrific experiences. Pax Christi recently posted “The joy she shared with so many was hard fought for her; she was a torture survivor and the strength, grace, courage and dignity she evidenced in her pursuit of the truth of what happened to her...and then her commitment to helping other survivors was deeply inspiring.” Read more about Ortiz's life and work here (Sojourners, 2/19).