This Lent I invite you to join in fasting and prayer to cry out to God on behalf of the victims of war- in particular the thousands of civilian men, women and children who have been killed and wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq this past decade- and those who work for peace. We must also pray for the end to all war, including an end to the use of private armies and flying robots to wage "unofficial war".
I've realized how distanced we have become from the experience of war. First, we are far removed from war's victims, including the wounded soldiers from our own country. Second, the voices of those speaking against war, especially civilians and leaders in the occupied counties, are silenced. Also, we've begun to believe that wars bring peace. A classic example- President Wilson proclaimed that WWI would be "the war to end all wars" but instead it was the first of many wars in the bloodiest century of human history.
The Christian responsibility to oppose war is clear. John Dear, S.J. said it best when writing in the National Catholic Reporter in September:
"Jesus always, always, always sides with those most marginalized, threatened and hurt by the culture of war, beginning with [civilian men and] women and children. If we Christians take the Gospel seriously, then we know the nonviolent Jesus grieves for these women, welcomes them into paradise, and holds in contempt the forces of death that killed them. In other words, the nonviolent Jesus cares -- and so should we who claim to follow him."
Further, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
The fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction of human life. Because of the evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war.
Regulars to this blog may note that Cardinal Bernardin's principle of the "Consistent Ethic of Life" cries out for an end to war and should motivate all who consider ourselves pro-life to do the same.
Now this isn't to say that the problems we set out to "solve" with war are not serious or that they should be ignored. Genocide cannot continue, terrorism cannot continue, human slavery and tyranny cannot continue. But it takes brave men and women to step outside of the boxes created by Nationalism and our Permanent War hysteria to come up with alternatives. I understand that many will stop reading at this point because they themselves cannot see an alternative to our current conflicts, I will admit that my limited mind cannot either, but the Church Fathers in Gaudium et Spes state that complexity is not an excuse for abandoning opposition to war and the pursuit of peace. Writing of leaders already working for peace, the Council Fathers said:
"Support should be given to the good will of the very many leaders who work hard to do away with war, which they abominate. These men [and women], although burdened by the extremely weighty preoccupations of their high office, are nonetheless moved by the very grave peacemaking task to which they are bound, even if they cannot ignore the complexity of matters as they stand. We should fervently ask God to give these men [and women] the strength to go forward perseveringly and to follow through courageously on this work of building peace with vigor. It is a work of supreme love for [hu]mankind. Today it certainly demands that they extend their thoughts and their spirit beyond the confines of their own nation, that they put aside national selfishness and ambition to dominate other nations, and that they nourish a profound reverence for the whole of humanity, which is already making its way so laboriously toward greater unity."
So in whatever way is appropriate to you, I invite you to join me in offering prayers and fasting on behalf of the victims of war and of those who work for peace.
To remind myself to pray for these victims daily, and to increase my hope in the Kingdom of God, I have committed to memory and daily recitation the following excerpt from the Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1: 68-79):
In the tender compassion of our Lord
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
And the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.
I wish you all a profound and prayer-filled Lenten season. I look forward to celebrating the Resurrection with each and every one of you! Pray for peace, turtles!
