What Makes for Peace

November 22, 2007

Memorial of Saint Cecelia, virgin and martyr

God forbid that we should forsake the law and the commandments. We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree. 1 Maccabees 2:21-22

As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42

Piety

God, on this day of Thanksgiving, we praise you for protecting us and those who protect us. We ask that you make all of us Children of Conscience, considering your message and mission and how you want us to respond to the ways of the world in peace and in thanksgiving. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/112207a.shtml

On this day celebrating "civil religion," the regular readings set up an interesting dichotomy between following the laws of the land or following the law of God – a choice so strong and so stark that it moves Jesus to tears.

In the reading from Maccabees, Mattathias and his sons refused to obey the king’s commands. They are among the original prisoners of conscience. Despite being wooed to be one of the King’s Friends, tempted with gifts of gold and silver, they refused to forsake the covenant of their fathers with God.

Today’s memorial to St. Cecelia marks a life which also was faced with renouncing her faith just like Mattathias faced. However, Dave Kopel writes that “Saint Cecelia is about living, not dying. Saint Cecelia represents the truth that has been understood by countless martyrs--of all faiths--that dying is a temporary condition, and that the temporal power of religious persecutors is likewise temporary. Risking one's own life to bury some dead martyrs, and then insulting a judge with the power to impose a death sentence, are both profoundly irrational--unless one knows that there is a spiritual existence of far greater significance than earthly existence.” (http://www.davekopel.com/Religion/saint-cecilia.htm)

In a troubling climax, Mattathias resorts to violence and kills one of the Jews who offered sacrifices to the King. His series of choices and actions – the refusal to obey the King, the murder of the Jew, the murder of the King’s messenger and the destruction of the altar – required Mattathias to flee into exile in the mountains.

Other kinsman fled into the desert. The kinsmen were hunted down by the king’s army. They chose the path of peace and non-violence when confronted with the hostile army. They did not resist the attack and were slaughtered. However, the sons of Mattathias chose a different path. They created armies to fight the kings who persecuted the Jews.

Turning to the Good News, Jesus changes everything including the requirements for salvation. Just before his arrest, torture and execution, Jesus is addressing his disciples after riding triumphantly into the city on the back of a colt. As he rode in, they proclaimed: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.”

According to the notes provided in the New American Bible translation, “Salvation is paralleled with Jewish national aspirations in contrast to the universal reign of God taught by Christ in the Gospel reading today.”

To this, the Pharisees wanted the people silenced. However, Jesus refused, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!”

The message of peace is so important, that if the people don’t proclaim it, the stones will come to life to proclaim it if the people do not. Instead of creating armies as was done in the Hebrew Bible, Luke writes that “By not accepting Jesus (the one who mediates peace), Jerusalem will not find peace but will become the victim of devastation.”

No longer is violence the path to God. Even if peace and non-violence brings death – like it did to the slaughtered kinsmen of Mattathias – violence is not the choice. However, Jesus weeps because he knows how hard this lesson will be for us to learn.

Action

“Someday they'll have a war and nobody will come.” Irwin Shaw in the play Bury the Dead. Clearly that did not happen in 1 Maccabees. However, that day may be coming. Take a look at the trailer for the movie “Soldiers of Conscience” at the following web site. http://www.socfilm.com/

This is a film about young men and women who were asked by their country to kill. However, their hearts asked them to stop. According to the description of the production, “From West Point grads to drill sergeants, from Abu Ghraib interrogators to low ranking reservist-mechanics; soldiers in the US Army today reveal their deepest moral concerns about what they are asked to do in war.

Their message: every soldier wrestles with his conscience over killing just like the kinsman of Mattathias did in 1 Maccabees. Although most of our modern soldiers do decide to kill, some refuse. “Soldiers of Conscience” reveals that far more soldiers refuse to kill than we might expect, according to its website.

The producers explain that the film was made with official permission from the US Army and shot on location in places from Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, to Washington, D.C. In October 2006, the film got the clearance from the US Army which did not shy away from the producers request to make a film about the moral questions of killing in times of war. Not only did they get permission to film with officers and soldiers at functioning military installations across the US, but when the producers submitted a rough cut of the film for review and response (as required by the assistance agreement), the official answer: “... a thought provoking film.” All along, the producers say that the Army never requested review of content or politics, but asked simply to ensure the safety of soldiers by reviewing the work before distribution.

“Soldiers of Conscience” claims to be a “realistic yet optimistic look at war, peace, and the power of the human conscience.” Joining the army and then refusing to kill might seem as irrational as St. Cecelia’s and Mattathias’ action. Coming on the heels of the blessing of Franz Jaegerstatter, the messages of today’s readings confront us like these soldiers with consistently choosing to celebrate life, not destroying it. God gave us many gifts, including a mind capable of free thought. Let us use it to choose life at every juncture.

What is on your mind this special day? Be thankful for all these gifts.