Bending the Arc

Following the United States and Israel’s overnight missile barrage of Iran on Feb. 28 and the widening war across the Middle East, a number of U.S. bishops have spoken out in opposition to the war.

In a March 9 article in America Magazine, Edward Desciak reports on statements made by Cardinals McElroy and Cupich who voice concerns that war has become “a spectator sport.”

Cardinal Cupich urged the American people not to “become addicted to the ‘spectacle’ of explosions.” “Our government is treating the suffering of the Iranian people as a backdrop for our own entertainment,” he wrote, “as if it’s just another piece of content to be swiped through while we’re waiting in line at the grocery store.”

“I know that the American people are better than this. We have the good sense to know that what is happening is not entertainment but war, and that Iran is a nation of people, not a video game others play to entertain us,” he concluded.

Read the full article 
 

Piloting Faith is an (almost daily) mediation from Rev. Cameron Trimble that will boost your spirit, inspire your activism and challenge your complacency. Her meditations offer reflection questions, a daily prayer, and some spiritual guidance. They also offer upcoming events that may be of interest to readers.

In her March 10, 2026, meditation, The Work Beneath the Surface, Rev. Cameron tells the story of the bamboo forests in Asia. When bamboo is planted, almost nothing happens for years. The seed is watered. The soil is tended. Seasons pass. To the casual observer, the ground appears unchanged.

One year goes by. Nothing.

Two years. Still nothing.

Three. Four.

Then sometime around the fifth year, something remarkable happens. The bamboo suddenly shoots upward. Within a matter of weeks it can grow nearly ninety feet tall.

To someone who has not been watching closely, the growth appears sudden and almost miraculous. But of course the growth did not begin in the fifth year.

For years the bamboo has been doing its most important work underground. It has been growing an intricate network of roots, spreading wide and deep through the soil. Only once that foundation is strong enough does the visible growth begin.

Rev. Cameron goes on to reflect how this growth is similar to the pains many of us feel currently with the widening war in Iran and the tensions in our country. Read her full article here. 
You are encouraged to join Rev. Cameron’s readers on the adventure of making our world a more just and generous place. Subscribe here.
 

It’s time for the March NETWORK National Advocates Call. Congress is in full swing and there’s a lot of movement around legislation that impacts voting rights and housing.You are invited to join advocates from across the country at this month’s National Advocates Call to build community and learn about NETWORK’s current legislative priorities. National Advocates staff will share what is happening on the Hill.

We'll gather on Zoom on Tuesday, March 17 at 11:00 AM Central/Noon Eastern/9:00 AM Pacific on Zoom. The one-hour meeting serves faith-filled justice seekers (like you) who live in states without a NETWORK Advocates Team. Be sure to RSVP! REGISTER NOW!

On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Each month, we will share an article inviting reflection on this anniversary, the current state of our democracy, and our personal role in its maintenance. 

March is Women’s History Month, so today we are exploring the story of Barbara Jordan, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 18th district of Texas between 1973 and 1979. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, she was not part of the “We the People” it referenced and when she gave a speech about the Constitution on July 24, 1974, she was still a minority within a minority as a Black woman serving on the House Judiciary Committee. In 1966, during her first term in the Texas Senate, the Senate Members Lounge still bore a sign reading “Men Only.” The US had come far since 1776, and she was going to take it farther.

Jordan knew that working together was what made the government function. During her time in the Texas Senate, she made intentional relationships with people on “the other side of the aisle” and through those relationships was able to find pathways to improve the lives of people in all walks of life in her state.

She also recognized that patriotism required holding her peers and other government officials accountable. In 1974, when questions arose about whether impeaching President Nixon was petty, she addressed it head on and with an educational speech that has been taught in oratory classes throughout the country as a shining example of excellence. Her speech referenced Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers (No. 65) which argues that Congress is best suited to serve as inquisitors of the executive branch of the government because the Senate feels “confidence enough in its own situation, to preserve, unawed and uninfluenced, the necessary impartiality between an individual accused, and the representatives of his people, the accusers.”

She challenged her peers to join her in this role by saying, 

“Today I am an inquisitor. An hyperbole would not be fictional and would not overstate the solemnness that I feel right now. My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.”

In 1976, during her speech at the Democratic National Convention, she reminded delegates of the goal of government:

"We are attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal."

On February 23, 2026, KPBS TV premiered a new documentary about Barbara Jordan. You can watch “The Inquisitor” for free through the KPBS+ app. The film “explores her life and legacy, unraveling how her sharp intellect and public influence transformed U.S. politics, while exploring the complexities of her private struggles that few ever knew.”

Read Barbara Jordan's July 24, 1974, Speech

Reflect

1. As I read Jordan's speech, which parts still seem true in today's United States?
2. Do I agree with Jordan’s assessment of our national purpose?
3. What hoped-for changes does this inspire in me, and how can I be part of bringing those changes into reality?

Learn more about CSA's “US at 250” initiatives including the April 23 event featuring Justice Janine Geske.

Sources: A Mighty Girl; UVA Miller Center; Library of Congress

In September 2025, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes signed the Joint Appeal for Nuclear Abolition Day which was presented to the UN High Level Plenary on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26, 2025, and also presented to the UN First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) on October 17, 2025.

The Appeal was endorsed by over 600 organizations and more than 1200 additional individuals from 99 countries, including Nobel Laureates, former high level officials (foreign ministers, UN Officials...), parliamentarians, local body representatives, other political leaders, academics/scientists, religious leaders, medical professionals, youth leaders, educators, business leaders, artists and other members of civil society.
The five calls made in the appeal remain valid and vitally important for 2026. The risks of nuclear war occurring and the lack of progress on nuclear disarmament are of high concern, as reflected in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announcement on January 27 that the hands of the Doomsday Clock have been moved another 4 seconds closer to midnight. 

The core team for NuclearAbolitionDay.org has therefore decided to extend the Nuclear Abolition Day Appeal to 2026 in order to present it to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the UN in April-May, and to the UN High-Level Plenary on September 26, 2026.

In order to do so, they have changed the date of the appeal to 2026 - the 81st anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the establishment of the United Nations. In addition, they have updated the global number of nuclear weapons to 12,300 (as reported by the Federation of American Scientists).

As everything substantive in the appeal remains the same, the plan is to include the current list of endorsers, and call for additional endorsements for the presentations of the appeal in 2026. CSA has been asked to encourage others to promote the call for additional endorsements to your networks. We hope you will!

Further updates will be posted on the NuclearAbolitionDay News page and in the UNFOLD ZERO newsletter. 

Lent is a sacred season of conversion and renewal, a return to the heart that prepares us to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Christ, who reveals love lived to the extreme. In the silence of the desert, through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we learn to love as Jesus loves: listening to the suffering of the world, carrying the weight of the cross, and opening paths of new life for all who share our common home.

By cultivating a contemplative heart, we learn to discern the voice of God amid the cries of the Earth and the poor. This spiritual discernment transforms our action at its root, shaping a faith that unites contemplation, ecological conversion, and justice, and enabling us to proclaim with hope the promise of Easter for all creation.

You are invited to participate in a Lenten Journey with the Laudato Si Movement, Returning to the Heart. Visit https://laudatosimovement.org/lent/ for a guided contemplative meditation video and attune your heart to the heartbeat of creation and to the Heart of Christ. You can also sign up for Weekly Lenten Reflections and Daily Prayer. It’s not too late to begin the journey.

No doubt many of you had been following the Buddhist monks “Walk for Peace” since they began their pilgrimage in Texas, October 2025. They walked daily for 15 weeks/108 days/2300 miles.

They reached their final destination in Washington D.C. on February 10. After arriving in the US Capital, the monks visited the Washington National Cathedral where they attended an interfaith service. The next day, they made a stop at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial where they gave thanks to all of their supporters along the way, and delivered a final meditative message that the world needs to hear. 

Upon an internet search, you will find hundreds of photos, videos and articles from many sources throughout their journey. Find these when you need a “pick me up.” You will be glad you did!
 

One hundred days into the ceasefire, the World Food Programme (WFP) has significantly expanded its lifesaving operations across the Gaza Strip, reaching more than 1 million people each month. While critical progress has been made in pushing back famine, the situation remains extremely fragile. Sustained access through all crossings, the flow of humanitarian and commercial goods, and the continuation of the ceasefire are essential to prevent Gaza from sliding back into catastrophic hunger.

Follow this link to read the latest updates on WFP operations and food security in Gaza.