Kind and Merciful
Whether nor not you are a history buff, it is important for you to know that this week celebrates the 100th anniversary of the start of the battle of Verdun. This battle between the advancing German army and the French defenses was the longest and bloodiest battle of the “War to End All Wars.”
In the battle, which lasted from 21 February, 1916 until 19 December, 1916, there were over an estimated 700,000 casualties (dead, wounded, and missing). The battlefield covered less than six square miles. From a strategic point of view there was no justification for such atrocious losses. The battle degenerated into a matter of prestige for two nations that ended up fighting for the sake of fighting. (Sound familiar?)
In my opinion, Verdun is worth studying and remembering because we live in a world where there is still an attitude of “fighting for the sake of fighting.” Many events in the world today are dripping with retribution, revenge, and a hair-trigger resorting to violence. Not all these events are physical battles (though certainly many are).
Contemporary politics is almost always described in war mongering terms. And although political fighting may be primarily personal or psychological, the battle lines are drawn and the tactics summon up the most ugly facets of human nature. The battle metaphor is also used in sports, business, and even (perhaps especially) in matters of religion and faith.
In many ways, much of our world is still an armed camp in which the most important value is security because there are real and imagined enemies everywhere. And the byproducts of such an attitude are fear, suspicion, and antipathy for anyone who is different or other. Is it any wonder that we are in great need of a jubilee of mercy?
In this coming Sunday’s liturgy, we repeat the refrain during the responsorial psalm–The Lord is kind and merciful. We hear again the story of Moses kicking off his sandals and approaching the burning bush to learn that God—whose name is “I AM”—saw the misery of the enslaved Israelites and promised to lead them to freedom. We also hear the parable of that farm worker who intervened on behalf a seemingly useless and barren fig tree. If I drag and drop these readings into our contemporary world, what do I discover?
The first thing I learn is that we are all still on the journey from slavery to freedom and that we are still striving to overcome the need to use the tools of violence and hatred to achieve our goals. Secondly, I learn that I need to kick off my own prejudices and self-centeredness and acknowledge my need for God’s love, forgiveness, and liberation.
I also learn that if I am going to witness to God’s reign in the world today, I am the person who needs to be kind and merciful. Mercy is not a passive virtue. It is active, and it intervenes on the behalf of others. Mercy does not accept the evils in the world. Mercy does not review a historic cautionary event like the battle of Verdun with a jaded “Ho-hum!”
My Lent cannot be a time for a spiritual reflection that is disconnected from the real world. If my faith is not a force for good, if it retreats from the needs of others, or if (at worst) it causes me to embrace bias against others and leaves me fighting for the sake of fighting, then I doubt it is faith at all.
Bless the LORD, O my soul
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
The lessons of history laced with the call to build the reign of God can help bring about the changes in me that celebrating the season of Lent is all about.
