To my son Tommy,
Once again we have reached the horrific anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01. Once again I offer no answers as to why those tragic events happened just as I had no answers last year. Once again I offer my thoughts and prayers to those who lost their lives or lost their loved ones on or because of that fateful day.
As I went to church this morning to remember and pray, I wished I was only praying for stuff that happened in the past. I wish we had learned and grown past the violence. But, once again, my prayers for peace extend to the future as well, as the drums of war seem to beat ever loudly in the middle east and in Syria. Once again we seemed destined to repeat past mistakes over and over again and try to solve violence with violence.
There is hope though. We may have all been witnesses to the ultimate weapon for peace. This ultimate weapon is not some impressive battleship or tomahawk missile. It is the weapon of prayer. Many joined in solidarity Saturday to pray with Pope Francis for what seemed a hopeless cause. It seemed inevitable that we as a country would be adding to the violence and opening a new gateway to new levels of war and discourse. So we prayed. Much to our surprise a more peaceful resolution presented itself. What made John Kerry throw out a long shot ultimatum? What made Putin and Assad seize on that comment and agree that is a workable solution? Some say it was through the real threat of force that this opportunity for diplomacy came about. Perhaps, but flexing our muscle in the past sure never dissuaded any of the other countries in the region. Maybe something bigger was at work here?
So as we once again remember the lives lost before in senseless violence, we continue to pray for peace in the future. To those who went before us, who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks and all the consequences that followed, we will never forget. The only way to honor your sacrifice is to pray and work towards a better peaceful future. God graciously grant unto us peace, not only in the sense of an absence of war, but that peace which truly touches the heart and soul of every person.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Showing posts with label Prayforpeace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayforpeace. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Seen It Before
To my son Tommy,
I have seen it before. I have seen everyone watching and wondering what the other guy is going to do. I have seen the posturing and the threats and people being backed in corners with their own words. I have seen spectators itching for a fight to start so they can jump in or root from the sidelines with blood lust in their heart. I have seen the over righteous, without knowing all or any of the facts, ready to jump in and protect the little guy by raining down punch after punch. I have heard all the lies and preemptive excuses of why the fight needed to happen meant to relieve culpability after the first blow. I have seen bluffs called and all out brawls break out. I have seen all this before, but it was in a bar with a bunch of drunk idiots. I didn't expect this from entire nations and really hoped that we as a species had grown up more than some bar flies fighting over who had next game on a pool table.
That is why yesterday, Saturday 7 September 2013, I joined in prayer and fast for peace in Syria. The Pope had asked everyone to join and I did what I could. I didn't spend as much time as I planned but when I had time, I went to the church to pray and when I had other responsibilities I just prayed silently when I could. I fasted from food (though not a full black fast as I had one meal) and social media (though I did have to break this once to look up times that the church opened) and that is why no letter yesterday. Even as I write to you, nations on all sides prepare for war as battleships and aircraft carriers position themselves for optimal strikes. Propaganda and threat levels increase world wide. This could be very bad and prayer was and is the only form of hope for what seems an inevitable outcome. May God, one day, grant each and every one of us the wisdom that violence is never the solution, and may that day be today!
I have seen it before. I have seen everyone watching and wondering what the other guy is going to do. I have seen the posturing and the threats and people being backed in corners with their own words. I have seen spectators itching for a fight to start so they can jump in or root from the sidelines with blood lust in their heart. I have seen the over righteous, without knowing all or any of the facts, ready to jump in and protect the little guy by raining down punch after punch. I have heard all the lies and preemptive excuses of why the fight needed to happen meant to relieve culpability after the first blow. I have seen bluffs called and all out brawls break out. I have seen all this before, but it was in a bar with a bunch of drunk idiots. I didn't expect this from entire nations and really hoped that we as a species had grown up more than some bar flies fighting over who had next game on a pool table.
That is why yesterday, Saturday 7 September 2013, I joined in prayer and fast for peace in Syria. The Pope had asked everyone to join and I did what I could. I didn't spend as much time as I planned but when I had time, I went to the church to pray and when I had other responsibilities I just prayed silently when I could. I fasted from food (though not a full black fast as I had one meal) and social media (though I did have to break this once to look up times that the church opened) and that is why no letter yesterday. Even as I write to you, nations on all sides prepare for war as battleships and aircraft carriers position themselves for optimal strikes. Propaganda and threat levels increase world wide. This could be very bad and prayer was and is the only form of hope for what seems an inevitable outcome. May God, one day, grant each and every one of us the wisdom that violence is never the solution, and may that day be today!
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
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