Support Our Troops--Through the Power of Prayer

The first two weeks of April have been exhausting. I’m not just talking about the hurried rush of Holy Week and Easter. The exhaustion I have felt comes from the long list of names of the soldiers who died representing you and me on the far away fields of battle in Iraq.

I was also thinking of the pictures of the women, children, and men who fell in Fallujah to weaponry I helped provide with my tax dollars. How did we ever succumb to the seduction of such violence?

The joy of Easter Sunday was muted as the list of names went on and on, calling to mind the ultimate sacrifice of all the young men and women who have died in Iraq serving our country over this past year. That happy morning was dulled by wondering: When will the violence end? And when will our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, aunts, uncles, and cousins serving there finally come home safe and sound and the people of Iraq live in peace? At least we remember . . .

Uncertain times like these test the mettle of our faith and hope. The cesspool drain of cynicism threatens to pull us in. It would be so easy to surrender to despair and give up as though powerless.

After all, what can we do? Can you or I influence the policy of the United States government? Can we somehow involve the United Nations to help correct a situation that has gone bad so quickly? Probably no. But that does not mean that we have to give up, nor does it mean that we are without power.

We can breathe and we can pray. We can show the soldiers who do come back-- some hale and hearty, some wounded in body, mind, or spirit--that we support them and care for them. We can let the soldiers in the hell of war know that back home they have our deep concern and prayers.

(One way you can do this is through Stars and Stripes magazine, which will forward your message of support to soldiers in the field. Send your letter to messages@estripes.com).

Cynicism and despair will call us from these tasks if we allow them the opportunity. So how can we ward off these twin demons? Jelaluddin Rumi wrote a short poem that gives us some guidance here:

My tired heart, take a sigh of relief
the time has come for you to heal.
The Friend who helps all lovers
has come into this world in the form of a man.

In Eastertide and in the season after Pentecost, we remember that God takes flesh and dwells among us. We recall this act powerfully in the person of Jesus and are reminded of our role in this act through the initiation of baptism. We are heirs of Christ, as Paul reminds us in the eighth chapter of Romans. And as heirs of Christ, we are called to his mission.

Rather than allow cynicism and despair to distract us, let us fully engage in the mission that Christ has bequeathed us: to seek Christ in the eyes of all we meet, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, to seek peace and justice, and to respect the dignity of every human being.

Such work can be exhausting in troubling times like these. When you feel that dull ache, take a deep breath and give a sigh of relief. Cry if you need to. Offer up to God whatever burdens your heart.

Joel t