Advent thoughts

Reading the news and spin today of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group is cause for one of those, “I told you so” moments. Four years ago, I was among a group of Americans and Franciscans who wrote numerous letters to the President of the United States and members of Congress asking them not to go to war with Iraq. I don’t how many of these letters were sent by what must have been hundreds if not thousands of Americans asking for a a voice of reason. Thousands of the world’s citizens took to the streets protesting the idea of pre-emptive invasion of a country that posed no threat to us. Four years later a “bi-partisan panel of politicians” has determined that invading Iraq was a bad idea. Duh!!

Can there be a bright light in the midst of this cauldron of intense pain for a nation that has suffered under the lash of a brutal dictator and now the brutal myopia of thoughtless foreigners some of whom claimed to be followers of Jesus? Where are the “just war” apologists from my own and other religions who spoke so vehemently in support of this madness? Where are they now? Have they learned anything? I hope that the power of this horrible example of man’s own inhumanity to man will sear their consciousness to such a degree that further acts of this type of insanity will not be tolerated.

Let us bring a renewed spirit of Advent to our world. Tuesday’s reading proclaimed:

“But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.”

Let us pray for the peace of Bagdad and for all Iraq. May the Lord give us and them peace.