“The great French preacher Lacordaire once said the vocation of a soldier is next in dignity to the priesthood, not only because it conditioned him to defend justice on the field of battle and order on the field of peace, but also because it called him to the spirit and intention of sacrifice.” – Ven. Abp. Fulton J. Sheen
Exsurge Domine
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"PHATMASS: Converting Catholics to Catholicism" ~ you gotta love it.
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3 comments:
I have so enjoyed following your blog for quite some time now, but looks like I should stop, as your recent activation seems to have changed the nature of your blog. I have to admit that I was surprised to learn your are a soldier. Difficult as it is for us to understand, Jesus calls us to answer evil with good, not evil with evil. To compare a soldier to a priest is, to me, incomprehensible, unless this is some reference to the priest's role in the sacrifice of the Mass, in which case I would need someone to explain the comparison.
I'm sorry to disappoint you. But, you're not alone in questioning it.
In my defense I'll say I got the quote from the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen's Wartime Prayer Book.
Thoughtful Catholics may disagree about the military vocation, but I don't think we should cast a shadow of suspicion over Catholic military people.
I wish you didn't stop following, for I will have many more things to say as my conscience begins to experience and evaluate this things as I experience them.
If you still feel you must go, go in Christ's peace.
-Theo
The Bible says there's a time for peace and a time for war. The Catechism says that defending innocent life is a duty of those possess that ability (CCC 2265 "Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm.")
Several miracles have been noted relating to military victories, most notably the Battle of Lepanto and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It is simply not Catholic to argue that soldiers are contrary to Jesus' teaching. In fact, Jesus himself frequently praised and upheld the soldier as a noble profession (Luke 3:14, for example).
Not all wars are just, and not all soldiers are to be praised. How is this different than any other human pursuit?
Venerable Sheen rightly points out that soldiers to offer their lives in sacrifice in the defense of individuals, society, and/or the common good give of themselves in a way that few other professions (save the priesthood and maybe nursing and teaching) do.
Being pacifist ignores the duty of all Christians to protect and defend life -- especially innocent life, and a just society. Justice demands a defense of things that are just.
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