Prayers tempore belli

Meditation

A young soldier was being interviewed on TV the other day. He was asked, “Why are you fighting here in Iraq?” He answered: “Some told me I was going to Iraq in order to strip Saddam of his weapons of mass destruction. Others told me, ‘Oh no, the real reason is to get our hands on the oil.’” Then he added, “I came here to Iraq neither because of Saddam nor because of oil. I just came. But then, in the course of the battle, as we took over one section after the other, in a land were one man has 12 palaces and countless statues and shrines erected to his honor, and the rest of the population has barely a hut, and as I saw the people, thin and meager, come running out of their huts, greeting us and smiling and cheering us on, my heart has been touched, and I see the war now as a mission of liberation and of compassion. I see now not through the eyes of those who tell me the war is about this or about that, but now through eyes of my own. Now I’m here for a reason of my own. Now I’m even glad I’m here. “

Let us pray: That you, oh Lord, would trick all our human designs and all our human agenda, and would work your will in the present conflict, and turn it into a great mission of compassion and liberation for the Iraqi people, and also into a great victory for us in which we win not just the war but also the peace. In peace, let us pray to the Lord. -- Lord, have mercy.

Meditation

The whole world is literally divided in regard to the present conflict. To use political jargon, there are “right wingers” who say, “There is a time for war.” And there are “left winger” who say, “There is a time for peace.” The scriptural word says, “There is a time for everything under the sun. A time to wound and a time to heal, A time to tear down and a time to build up; a time to make war and a time to make peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

Let us pray: That you, oh Lord, would show us when it is time, indeed, to make war instead of peace, and when it is time, indeed, to make peace instead of war, and that you would give us the courage to make either the war or peace that you ask of us. In peace, let us pray to the Lord. -- Lord, have mercy.

Meditation

The rejoicing this past Wednesday (April 9, 2003) was quickly turned into dismay over the sudden burst of anarchy and the rampant looting-–people carrying off TVs, refrigerators, air-conditions, furniture of every kind etc. etc. Often, not always, the reason why people loot and steal is because they were themselves first looted and robbed. The reason why you and I don’t loot and carry off TV’s and refrigerators and air-conditioners is because we already have one, and not only one but also two and even three.

Let us pray: That we might count our many blessings—our TV’s and refrigerators and air conditioners, but especially our freedom. In peace, let us pray to the Lord. -- Lord, have mercy.

Meditation

As we watch TV from our comfortable armchairs drinking our imported French and Italian wines, we witness the extremely harsh rigors and realities of the battlefield – the stifling gear you have to wrap yourself up in as temperatures are in the high 90’s, the blowing sand which penetrates everything, the lack of sleep, the lack of food, the lack of a good bathroom and a good shower to wash away the filth of war from your body and the terror of war from your soul. From that comfortable position it is easy and also obscene to be either an ardent Dove or an ardent Hawk.

Let us pray. That at this moment we might match the hard labors of those in harm’s way with hard labors of our own--the labors of Lent: praying, cutting down on eating, helping someone out, sharing our abundance, counting our blessing, not complaining, giving alms, e.g. to the Archbishop’s Stewardship Appeal at this present moment. In peace, let us pray to the Lord. – Lord, have mercy.

Meditation

When the huge self-glorification of Saddam came toppling down in the center of Baghdad, we saw an immense sea of humanity rejoicing with unbridled exuberance. What perhaps escaped almost everyone were two revelers in that immense sea holding on high, yes, palm branches! How biblical and how timely!

Let us pray: That the sorrow and pain of Holy Week might turn into the joy and the hope of Easter for everyone swept up in this conflict. In peace, let us pray to the Lord. -- Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray: That the living victims of our war dead (i.e., the father/mothers, brothers/sisters, the spouses of those killed in battle) may have their grief consoled and their anger tempered by a God who is a father who also weeps because he, like them, has lost someone whom he dearly loved. In peace let us pray to the Lord. —Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray: For all those in our assembly who are ill or who have loved one who are ill or who are caregivers to those who are ill. In peace let us pray to the Lord. -- Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray: For all our beloved dead, especially those recently deceased, and for all those who grieve inconsolably because of the bereavements of war. In peace let us pray to the Lord. -- Lord, have mercy.