February – The Fifth Commandment
“You shall not kill.” (Exodus 20:13)
Glory be to Jesus Christ!
❄ Deep Winter, Clear Ice, Clear Choices
February is often the coldest month. The ice is finally thick and stable, and
families gather confidently outdoors. The fisherman knows this moment well:
when conditions are right, you move forward — but always with respect. Cold
does not mean lifeless. Beneath the ice, life continues quietly, waiting.
This is the spirit of the Fifth Commandment. God is not only forbidding murder;
He is teaching us to revere life, to protect it, to handle it with care —
especially when it is hidden, fragile, or entrusted to us.
⚓ The Heart of the Fifth Commandment
The Fifth Commandment proclaims the sanctity of human life from
conception until natural death. Life is not ours to give or take. Every human
person bears the image of God.
The Church teaches clearly:
- Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the
moment of conception. - Direct abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and all attacks on innocent
life are grave moral evils. - Violence of the heart — hatred, contempt, dehumanization, gossip,
deliberate exclusion — also wounds life.
A fisherman understands this instinctively. If you catch a fish you will not keep,
you do not torture it. You return it gently to the water. To harm what you will not
take is a violation of stewardship. So too with people: to destroy someone’s
dignity with words, silence, or rejection is a quiet form of killing — making
them “not exist” anymore for us.
This is why the Church gives us the Sunday of Forgiveness before the Great
Fast. Holding grudges, freezing others out, refusing reconciliation — these
slowly suffocate life. Forgiveness restores breath.
🐟 Christ, Life, and Responsibility
Christ did not come merely to forbid death, but to give life — and life in
abundance. He heals, feeds, forgives, restores. He touches the untouchable
and calls the forgotten by name.
For the fisherman-disciple, this commandment reshapes how we live: - How we speak about others
- How we treat the vulnerable
- How we respect creation
- How we defend those who have no voice
The Fifth Commandment calls us not only to avoid killing, but to actively
choose life — in our homes, parishes, communities, and public witness.
🌟 February Feasts and the Light of Life
February 2 – The Presentation of the Lord / Стрітення
Christ, still an infant, is brought into the Temple — fragile, silent, carried in
loving arms. On this feast, candles are blessed in both Eastern and
Western traditions, proclaiming Christ as the Light to enlighten the nations.
Saint Simeon’s words echo powerfully in the context of life:
“Now, O Lord, You dismiss Your servant in peace… for my eyes have seen
Your salvation.”
Simeon can face death without fear because he has encountered Life
Himself. The Church teaches us: life has meaning not because it is long,
easy, or powerful — but because it belongs to God.
February 16 – Clean (Pure) Monday
This is the first day of the Great Fast in the Byzantine tradition. The Church
begins Lent not with ashes, but with cleansing — a return to simplicity,
restraint, and life-giving discipline.
February 18 – Ash Wednesday (Roman Catholic Church)
On this day, the entire Catholic Church enters the Lenten season. Ashes
remind us of mortality — not to despair, but to choose conversion and life
while time is given.
🌱 Life in Practice - Speak words that give life; refuse gossip and cruel humor.
- Reconcile quickly; do not let relationships freeze over.
- Respect creation and animals as gifts entrusted to us.
- Pray intentionally for unborn children, the elderly, the sick, the forgotten.
- Teach children that strength is shown by protection, not domination.
This year, meditation on the Fifth Commandment also invites us to prepare
our hearts to witness publicly for life — including participation in the
annual March for Life, supported by the Knights of Columbus. Prayer leads to
action; action flows from love.
🌊 Closing Reflection
The fisherman knows: life under the ice is real, even when unseen. So too in
every human soul. The Fifth Commandment trains our eyes to see what is
hidden, our hands to act gently, and our hearts to choose mercy over
destruction.
May this winter purify us — not into coldness, but into clarity — so that we
may become guardians of life in all its forms.
Please pray for me, as I pray for you.
We are in the same boat, entrusted with precious cargo.
By Fr. Slavko Dumeč
State Chaplain
Vivat Jesus!
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love
of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” –
Romans 15:13
Father Slavko Dumec
Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Edmonton
Phone: 780.467.6200
Website: https://stnicholasucp.ca
9507 Austin O’Brien Rd NW, Edmonton, AB T6B 2C1
