Our reflection on this Sunday of Lent draws inspiration from the homily on the Treaty of Waitangi delivered by His Eminence Steve Lowe, Bishop of the Diocese of Auckland, on 6 February, Waitangi Day.

On this occasion, the Bishop invited us to view one of New Zealand’s foundational events in the light of the Cross of Christ.

The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and many Māori chiefs in the hope of fair coexistence on the land, carries both light and shadow: the wounds left by unfulfilled promises have created legacies still deeply rooted in the local culture. It is not a closed chapter of the past, but a story that continues to challenge our conscience and responsibility.

Lent leads us precisely into this space of truth. The Cross does not hide betrayal, suffering, or injustice: it makes them visible. Yet at the same time, it reveals a love that does not retreat, a love capable of passing through death to open the way to life. In the same way, the memory of the Treaty, if received with humility, can become an opportunity for conversion through reconciliation.

Reconciliation does not mean forgetting, but facing wounds with courage and choosing not to remain their prisoner. As in the Lenten journey, we are invited “to approach with reverence the taonga of the Treaty, so that it may also guide us along the paths of peace and unity,” taking off our shoes and recognising that we are in the presence of the sacred.

In the time leading to Easter, the Cross reminds us that death is not the final word. Even events marked by pain can become a place of renewal if lived in truth and love. This is the hope Lent gives us: to transform the memory of suffering into a shared path toward unity and communion.