I have little original to offer for Memorial Day, and indeed I desire only to unite my thanks and prayers, with every other American, to the men and women who have served our country, especially those who have given their lives in that service.
I’ve been Catholic for twelve years now, and in that time my thoughts on war and our country’s decision-making have undergone transformation. I was an ardent supporter of going into Afghanistan, and also thought that going into Iraq was a good idea. The good ol’ American “kick some dictator butt” feeling was strong in me.
Now, having seen friends of mine go off to war, seen friends’ husbands leave for one year, two years, to distant countries, to the detriment of their young children, I sure hope that there is good reason for them to make this sacrifice. And no doubt sometimes there have been. But my confidence in our country’s administrators in making the judgment to go to war and stay at war has diminished every year. They aren’t the ones making these sacrifices, and while some of our leaders are veterans, probably most are not.
It seems to me that we should only go to war if we have to, for a just cause, for an absolute need. When we ask men and women to be willing to lay down their lives to protect our country, we must have an ironclad reason for doing so. In this way, the sacrifices made by our fellow Americans will not be in vain or be thrown away on an unworthy cause.
Our Catholic Faith is a great treasure trove of wisdom in regard to the just governance of a country and to what makes a war just. I pray that we as Catholics will be able to help inform the conscience of our nation, so that our leaders will make wise and prudent decisions with the great responsibility they have of deciding whether our soldiers should be put in harm’s way.
To those men and women serving our country, I salute you and pray for your safety and protection.
