March 19, 2003
A Pastoral Letter from Thomas C. Ewell
MAINE COUNCIL of CHURCHES
Once again as religious leaders we struggle with defining our
role and the role of communities of faith in a time of war. As
I write, the invasion of Iraq is imminent.
For those of us who have argued so passionately out of our faith traditions against what we consider an unjust and immoral war, and for all those who will feel the horror of war, our reaction to the ensuing violence and bloodshed initially will be deep sorrow and lamentation. Our faith traditions speak often to this condition. Of the 150 Psalms, for example, 23 of them, or one-sixth, are lamentations. Our soul cries out when we personally experience injustice ourselves and witness its impact on others. For many, our sadness may be compounded by a sense of complicity in the perceived injustice of this war as American citizens and taxpayers. It is good to lament. Grief counselors encourage people to feel their sorrow, to name and share their sadness, instead of simply avoiding it with anger, diversion, and denial. Let us lament together the violence and horror of war.
Out of our lamentation comes petition and prayer. What do we want God to do? We will be praying for the safety of our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and all our loved ones in the armed forces; for a timely, just and equitable peace; for all innocent people and their families and loved ones who will die, suffer and experience deprivation because of the war; and for the restoration of the peace of a civil society in Iraq and the healing of the environment after the war ceases. Our prayers will also include our confidence that ultimately God hears and answers our prayers, and we give thanks in that anticipation.
We envision a culture of peace, and begin now to work for it. Rather than respond to violence with the violence we deplore, we learn to practice non-violence; where there is despair, we will remain hopeful; we resist hating our enemies as we recognize the basic goodness of people and we transcend the hatred with compassion. We remember, in spite of all that is unjust, to dedicate ourselves to seeing what loving sacrifice can do in this war weary world.
We assume that the calculated killing in war is executed with great reluctance, regret and humility, and we will not glorify military might and victory in battle. When there is suffering and death from the war, we will comfort the family and loved ones of those killed and injured, and welcome the soldier back into our community. We will commit to help rebuild all we destroy.
Let us all engage in a ministry of listening, and supporting each other as we all struggle to understand the complexities and moral ambiguities of wartime. Let us offer those with differing opinions hospitality and respect as we carefully listen to our varied reactions to the often perplexing events during and after the war.
Finally, communities of faith have traditionally been, are now, and will continue to be, communities that honor and speak with a prophetic voice. When the prophetic voice is raised to decry and witness against war, the misuse of power, and the neglect of the poor and the vulnerable, that voice often speaks with the transcendent voice of compassion for humankind, and it must never be silenced.
Grieving, praying, comforting, listening, witnessing, and overcoming violence with non-violence and love: this is the role of people of faith as peacemakers in time of war. May we honor this challenge faithfully with our hearts, lives and actions.
Thomas C. Ewell
Executive Director
Maine Council of Churches