A Word On War And Peace
On The Eve Of War With Iraq
John Michael Talbot

Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Good in Christ!

I have watched and listened to President Bush's prime time news conference on March 6th, as have many of you. I would like to give a couple of reflections from my perspective as spiritual father and founder of our community and her ministries. These come from my deepest heart and mind, but are certainly not exhaustive to the problems we face.

1) It is clear that the Catholic Church in the person of the John Paul II, the Papal envoy to President Bush, Cardinal Pio Laghi, and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has spoken plainly that the proposed war against Iraq by the US does not meet the criteria of the traditional Just War as understood in Christianity. This especially involves the concept of supporting only a strictly defensive war in response to a violation of a sovereign nation's borders and people, with force that is limited to a proportion to the aggression, and as an absolute last resort.

The Church also mentions the catastrophic effects that might ripple out from this proposed war. These could include increased terrorism, and hatred of western society by Moslem and other middle and far eastern cultures. She is quick to disassociate the concept of a Moslem/Christian war from this current action.

Let me extend a bit from the literal statements of the President to some underlying ideas. (Please excuse any overlapping into things political by one who's focus is primarily, and usually spiritual):

2) It seems clear that President Bush and his advisors see this proposed war in light of a serious paradigm shift away from the traditional Just War, whether or not they would state it in those terms. That shift is due to the factors of modern terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. These are unique to our time, and could certainly seem justifiable in light of 9/11. But they also have dangerous ramifications regarding precedent for war.

3) In light of this paradigm shift I believe that he genuinely sees this war as strictly defensive, as a last resort, and a way to save more human lives than will be lost.

4) It also seems clear that he believes that those persons, organizations, or nations, who disagree with him about Iraq are well meaning, but ultimately deluding themselves with false hopes for peace through further time for the process of inspection and negotiation.

5) President Bush sees Iraq as a legitimate part of the War on Terror due to its support of terrorist groups and its weapons of mass destruction, among its other human rights violations. To say that he wants vengeance for his father is surely not his primary motive.

6) It seems that those who oppose war at this time see even initial steps towards compliance by Iraq as preferable to the bloodshed of human life through war.

7) As the President stated after September 11, the War on Terror will take years, not months, and will involve multidimensional action, not exclusively but not excluding military, against groups or nations that promote terror or harbor terrorists. At that time President Bush asked the American people to be very patient. Though not stated strongly in the March 6th news conference, the War on Iraq is likely not the end of it. There will be more to come in the months and even years ahead.

8) But lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the President and our government have never really acknowledged the core question behind terror: Why does so much of the world hate us? Why is our own population divided on this issue? I have said repeatedly that some of this is simply the underdog resenting and even hating the greater power. The President has mentioned that dictators hate freedom. There is truth to such statements. But this alone is not sufficient.

We must seriously search our own way of life in terms of our own human rights record in the disparity between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots, and our monetary, moral, and military support of other governments and companies that perpetuate this injustice. We are not completely innocent. As long as these things continue we will have this problem in a way extraordinary of the simple conflicts that come from living in a fallen and struggling world.

So, especially during the first days of this Lent I ask our community and friends to seriously and earnestly pray. As Mary has asked us: pray, pray, pray. I am not talking about the customary Lenten prayers and practices. I am talking about prayer that brings us to our knees and on our faces in humble supplication and earnest intercession, and a fast that makes a real change in our lifestyle and habit patterns.

Pray first for peace that, as St. Paul said, "passes all understanding." As Pope Paul VI said, "Peace is possible, therefore it is a duty." John Paul II, in Social Concern stated many lifestyle issues that contribute to war around our world.

We continue to pay for our President and our government, and the governments of the world. The burden at this time must be truly terrible to bear. Many on both sides of this issue are true believers, and take their faith most seriously as a guide to their service of humanity through their leadership.

If we do go to war we must pray for our men and women in uniform and their families. They must have our love and support. But we must also pray for the troops and families of the enemy, and that civilian loss of life and injury, and destruction of property needed for the normal daily life of the people will be kept to an absolute minimum.

I would also ask for all of us to sit in meditation and contemplative prayer daily to establish peace in our own hearts towards friend and foe alike. But not just the ones far away and ideologically different from ourselves. I also mean the ones in our own homes and places of work or worship. This is a great challenge. St. Francis said clearly that we must first have peace in our own heart before we can proclaim it to others. Jesus had to be ready to go to the cross without resistance before He could preach non-resistance as a way of life.

It is only through the complete letting go of our old self through Christ and the saints that such peace is possible. With each breath may we let go of the old self, and allow the Spirit of God to conform us to the image of the Prince of Peace. May this Lenten season be a time of peace for us all, especially as we face the ever-present prospect of war in a matter of days.

May God richly bless you with His faith, hope, and charity in Christ and His Church,

In Jesus,
John Michael Talbot
Founder and General Minister
Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage