Today we remember the tragedy of September 11, 2001. And I think we are wise to mourn the victims of that day, but we also pray for all of the further victims of the attendant "war on terror" and the grand disaster of our response to the attacks.
It makes me think that perhaps both the perpetrators of Islamic violence and we arrogant western crusaders might take a lesson from Francis in the Earlier Rule.
Francis writes that the brothers who are inspired to go among non-believers may do so in one of two ways. They may either keep themselves quiet and humble, not arguing or debating with anyone, and being subject to every human creature for God's sake (2 Peter 2:13), simply confessing that they are Christians. In this way they preach the poor and humble Christ without having to say anything. Or they may boldly preach the Trinity and the necessity of baptism for salvation, and gratefully suffer whatever consequences come.
We might note that neither of these paths involves killing or imprisoning anyone.
3 comments:
I would agree with you if our government was trying to convert the people of Iraq to our form of government or thought. Better to be a quiet example than a "clanging gong".
When, however, they have actively vowed to kill us, I think it is a different and more difficult matter.
Thanks for remembering all of those who have passed.
I found this quote very interesting:
"While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissable to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not, however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."
Pope Benedict XVI
While your suggestion is of course a very noble one, I hardly think that the perpetrators of Islamic violence are interested in the Earlier Rule or any Christian notion of peace for that matter. That is not the only problem in this conflict but it is certainly a large part it. Rather, the real source of the problem is Islamic Fundamentalism that considers all other faiths illegitimate and the killing of innocent people a way to become a martyr. Having said that the U.S. of course needs to look at the way it uses its power and more specifically large corporations need to be restrained from acting with impunity throughout the world.
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