Something Many Will Not Care For
A compilation of quotes from the Holy Father on War in Iraq.
I have said many times, very clearly where I stand. I stand on and in prayer for God's will in this matter. But my emotional stand is well reflected in this line from the Pope:"I say: NO TO WAR! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity."
That said, I must also quite regretfully acknowledge that there are forces in the world that sometimes lead to a defeat for humanity. War is not inevitable; however, sometimes it may be necessary. Sometimes humanity must be defeated so that it is not annhilated. I should further remark that this is an extraordinary statement for a person who has beatified and canonized innumerable martyrs to the Nazi terror. That war may have been a defeat for humanity, but I find it impossible to contemplate the horrors of what a possible no-war "victory" for humanity might have been. Mind you, I'm not criticizing the Holy Father, but I must say that I do not understand completely the fullness of what he might mean.
My solution and recourse as always is to hope that war may be averted and pray that God's "will be done on Earth as in Heaven," which is to say, perfectly. So to extract another quote from the article, "WE must multiply our efforts for peace. One cannot stand idle in front of terrorist attacks, but equally one cannot stand idle in the face of the war now appearing on the horizon. " And so, I take the best action a private citizen may take in the face of this peril, an action I am absolutely certain the Holy Father would approve, I pray for God's will and hope that His will is peace, but accept whatever may come. We take action through our prayer and I've finally learned that prayer should not necessarily seek to persuade, but it should present our best hopes and offer our submission to God's will should it not coincide with what we would like.
