Seek Peace and Pursue It

I was reading Augustine earlier this fall, and I was struck by his stance on war. He ceded that war was sometimes justified and a legitimate use of force, legally. But that legal allowance does not erase the moral weight of taking life. When weighing what is legal vs. what is moral, we should choose the moral. In this, Augustine—who argues strongly for just war theory— seems to be making a case for pacifism.

Augustine clarifies that a soldier killing an enemy, an executioner killing a convicted criminal, or someone who accidently kills another are not guilty of murder. And he confirms that laws allowing defensive killing are just and legitimate. Killing in self-defense is not the same as killing in anger, greed, or revenge. However, he suggests that human laws can permit lesser evils to prevent greater ones, whereas God’s law can only permit that which is good. And the taking of life is never good. Augustine posits the possibility that someone can act within the boundaries of human law while remaining morally accountable before God.

Today, on Veterans Day, we remember those who fought. And indeed, I think most who fight in war do so with the belief that they are protecting their home and family, that they are stopping evil, that the fight is just. I know I am safer and more secure because of my ancestors who participated in war, from the Revolution on down through WWII. I acknowledge that for me, personally, I am the beneficiary of the fight of others.  

Monday Motivation: Some Definite Service

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.” -  St. John Henry Newman

"I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice"

The death penalty has unfortunately been a topic of discussion as of late. First, Tennessee tried to execute its first woman in 200 years; there were court orders and stays and back-and-forths, but ultimately, Christa Pike received two lethal injections. And then she lived. And then there was the fallout of reviving a person condemned to death, the trauma imposed on her and those watching, and the discussion of what happens now. It’s been a mess from beginning to almost end.

Then, it was announced that not only would the Fort Hood shooter be executed, but that the firing squad execution would be live-streamed. Even people who generally approve of the death penalty found broadcasting it distasteful. (It now seems like the administration may pull back on this due to backlash.)