” In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. “ Dwight Eisenhower”
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.”
” Blessed are the peacemakers” … Jesus of Nazareth
Today [ yesterday], Vladimir Putin quoted Jesus: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” -John 15:13 He used Jesus to justify his violence. It’s nothing new. But it’s always offensive. The truth is this – for Christ we can die… but we cannot kill. ———– from Shane Claiborne
We are a violent species. It is hard to be pacifist or non-violent when the fury of Vladimir Putin is raining down on you. To have a society going down the road of nonviolence, it takes many years of peacemaking work. As with the war in Ukraine, it did not just happen three weeks ago. It started 10, 20 years or a generation ago. It is said, and I do not know if it is true, but Putin has been seething about Ukraine since 1991. He took Crimea in 2014, without a shot being fired.
We are in the fourth week of Lent. You can see Jesus with his disciples having the buildings of Jerusalem in the sights. Jesus knows it is the end, and it is going to be violent. The Empire kills any people who disturb the peace of Rome. Jesus is going to confront political and religious authority when he gets inside the walls of Jerusalem . As he sees Jerusalem, what is he thinking ? He must have been tense, as he arrived soon with his disciples.
PRAYER God, Bring men and women of peace to the situation in Ukraine. It is too much, way too much, death, destruction and tears. AMEN
Fred Chaos in the winds Scattering my troubled thoughts to land on soft clouds Monica Pieper Landoni 2022
