Part I
Eleven days have passed since the worst terrorist attack in Israel's modern history. Although individuals or countries may war with one another, the systematic removal of a people/nation is not a solution, nor a just cause. We’ve read repeatedly in the Old Testament about the plight of the house of Israel, most recently when reading from the Book of 1 Maccabees yesterday in Bible Study. Now, like then, the people are encouraged to persevere and “to pray and ask God for mercy and compassion (1 Maccabees 3:44).
As I shared last week, evil is evil. Targeting civilians is never just. Using women, children, and the elderly as human shields is immoral. Taking and torturing hostages should not be considered godly in any religion. Warring is not what God desires for His people but is a tragic reality of our fallen nature. Mindful of this, we lament and repent.
A fog of war looms over any battle. Carl von Clausewitz, credited with the term, explained it as “the realm of uncertainty...a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty [in military conflict]. Commanders then must gather the best intelligence to make the most informed decisions because every decision has consequences. And, every decision weighs heavy on the soul of a commander who must consider friend and foe because this is right, even in what is fallen.
Similarly, there is undoubtedly a “fog of sin” that looms over and around any battle. Even for those of us thousands of miles away from conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, Ethiopia, Yemen, Haiti….we can get drawn into the fog. Clarity for Christians, though, does not come through simply watching and reading more news** but through prayer. We, too, ought to follow that admonition of Mattathias, “to pray and ask God for mercy and compassion." It’s a prayer for ourselves, those who are being harmed, and those who are inflicting the harm. As God makes the “sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), our prayers must encompass all. As we will pray in Compline and the Akathist prayers, we petition God to have mercy on “those who hate us and those who love us.”
Over the past few days, I have had the chance to reconnect with Rabbi Yossi, who serves at the Chabad of Placer County. Know that he is sincerely thankful for our prayers. He also invited us to provide support through the following charities:
https://charidy.com/united4israel : Charidy is a crowdfunding platform. Monies raised through this particular campaign provide physical, spiritual, and emotional support to the Jewish community in Israel.
https://afmda.org/ : Magen David Adom (MDA)is the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross. Founded in 1940 as the American Red Magen David for Israel (ARMDI), American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) is the sole authorized fundraising and advocacy organization in the United States supporting the life-saving efforts of Magen David Adom (MDA) in Israel and representing MDA in the US in all matters. MDA and its trained volunteers and professional medical responders depend on AFMDA support to provide the nation's pre-hospital emergency needs, including medical, disaster, ambulance, and blood services. It has a four-star rating as a charity organization.
https://give.zakaworld.org/campaign/protection-kits-2023-support-zaka-search-and-rescue/ : A UN-recognized humanitarian volunteer organization rapidly responding to mass casualty disasters worldwide. To date, ZAKA has saved thousands of lives—and honored those who couldn't be saved with dignity in death. Zaka was featured three days ago by the BBC for “the Volunteers Giving Dignity to Israel’s dead.” Zaka has a two-star charity rating.
I would also encourage you to support the work of the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), which has a four-star charity rating. The specific campaign for the Holy Land is found at https://support.iocc.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app30116b?df_id=9183&mfc_pref=T&9183.donation=form1&_ga=2.14578224.601490820.1697644637-1330592201.1697644637&NONCE_TOKEN=D19943E550579BD36AEAACE2E6A8D6BF
**Regarding the news, I’ve found AllSides, https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news to be a good source for vetting the bias of articles. It’s probably best to read articles written more “from the center” than those biased to the left or right. “As the Fathers say, the extremes from both sides are equally harmful. [We must] go on the royal path, avoiding the extremes on both sides” (Saint John Cassian).
Part II
After this post, some individuals were left with questions. Before I share another word regarding the “fog of sin,” allow me to apologize for not providing the clarity I hoped for. My intent has been and remains twofold: 1) to provide a Christian response, not the response, and 2) to encourage you to pray, not simply for peace, but also for all of God’s children.
Sin that is, “missing the mark,” is falling short in our relationship with God. Whether we perceive sinful thoughts, words, or deeds as little or big, all sin separates us from God. We witness this in any conflict within families, within communities, small or large.
How Christians persevere in conflict is unique. Yes, every religion prays to God for mercy. Some prayers, though, are sectarian, meaning they are meant for “a” people rather than all people. Our Holy Tradition is replete with examples of men, women, and children who have persevered in conflict, even unto martyrdom, and have prayed for their enemies. Why? Because if our Lord suffered, was crucified, and died upon the Cross and He has said, “he who wishes to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow,” I too may suffer. Even so, amidst their suffering, they prayed. We were just reminded of this when commemorating the life of St. Longinos the Centurion on Monday. Our prayers and acts of mercy, like his, are for all, and we hope, unto salvation.
Some two thousand years later, it’s humbling to think that Christians attached to the historical Sees of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and even Jerusalem are persecuted. These Christians have learned not simply to exist in persecution but to remain committed to Christ, allowing His Light to shine brightly on those in darkness. Some of our parishioners with roots (and families) in these lands can attest to this better than I can. This is how Saints are made. This is also how others continue to be drawn to the Light, which is Christ. It’s persevering by God’s Grace, not because it’s right, but to be righteous.
I was speaking with another priest about what has transpired in recent days. We’re both at a loss, as we were over the events in and around Ukraine. To think, I was to be in the Holy Land next month and again in January with our parishioners, visiting the Holy sites - functioning parishes for the faithful of these cities and towns or monasteries for the fathers of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher - all in the care of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. As we spoke, we continued to list by region, those whom we lifted in prayer, members of our parish families, and even some of our schoolmates living in the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey, Africa, Cyprus, and the Americas who unjustly suffer. We also spoke of the sacred and humbling privilege it has been to grieve with and support those who have lost loved ones due to conflict. There are no words besides an attempted paraphrase of St. Paul; we grieve, but we grieve as those with hope in the Resurrected Christ.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, conflicts will continue, and suffering will continue. Again, this does not justify persecuting or being persecuted because we are all part of God’s family. What it does testify to is the reality that peace will only reign when all come to know Christ intimately. Again, peace will only reign when all come to know Christ, when Christians can humbly boast as did St. Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. This must be our prayer because this is our Orthodox faith as witnessed in the lives of the Saints and those Orthodox Christians living in far-from-ideal circumstances in these historic lands.
Some time ago, I found a beautiful prayer that can be prayed by those who struggle to live in chastity. Within a much greater prayer, we find the words: “Grant that I may remain strong in virtue and innocent in all my thoughts, words, and deeds, only doing those things that please You. Grant me to grow in wisdom and understanding that I may serve You in purity and holiness all the days of my life. Grant, also, that I may have the courage to witness to others on behalf of Your Gospel teachings.” The prayer concludes with the words, “I ask all this through the intercessions of Your most pure Mother, the Theotokos, and Ever-Virgin Mary, together with Saint John the Baptist, and all the Saints…. Amen.
The theological understanding and graceful sensitivity of such prayers are the beauty of our Orthodox Christian faith, rooted in Christ. We trust that words like this, prayed by our faithful in every historical land, who commemorate those who have gone before them, are well-pleasing to God. We also hope their examples will lead others to Christ there, as our examples should lead others to Christ here. And, when others suffer because of the “fog of sin,” we lament, repent, and ask God to be merciful.