Remembering

Icon of Franz Jägerstätter by William Hart McNichols:

On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember so many who gave their lives in so many ways. Pax Christi USA asks us to reflect on Franz Jägerstätter, the Austrian Catholic who was martyred on August 9, 1943 for refusing to serve in the armies of the Third Reich. From Pax Christi USA: "As we approach Memorial Day and to commemorate Franz's life, let us pray for the day that no soldier will die in battle for their country, and that in the interim, those soldiers of faith who are opposed to any or all wars, can act on their individual conscience without needing to accept the ultimate verdict bestowed on Franz Jägerstätter."

PCUSA Prayer for Memorial Day: God of peace and love, throughout this Memorial Day weekend, let us remember those who have died in war or who have suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and moral injury, sometimes ending in their taking their own life through suicide. Let us pray and act with the cry "War No More", and until we reach that day, empower us to work to avoid war. Let us help U.S. soldiers whose consciences are awakened to the moral depravity of war to be able to act on their individual conscience without having to suffer the price that Blessed Franz paid. We ask all this through Jesus, who gave us his peace so that we may be people of peace. Amen.

Technical Difficulties

I'm not sure why our e-mail subscribers got a post from Advent 2010, but it happened! Apologies . . .

Immigration Reform

Click here to read the text of President Obama's speech in El Paso, TX on May 10 and click here to read the response from the USCCB, delivered by Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles.

Another Reaction

Congratulations to Lisa Burke on her essay, "Bin Laden is Dead," published on Catholic.org. Click here to read the essay, which brings much-needed reminders about unconditional love, mercy, and forgiveness to our conversation.

A Christian Response

"What is a Christian response to Osama Bin Laden's death?" asks James Martin, SJ. Here's an excerpt of his May 2 blog post:

"As someone who worked at Ground Zero in the days and weeks following 9/11 I rejoiced to hear that Osama Bin Laden’s long reign of terror, which had dealt death, destruction and untold misery to millions across the world, had finally come to an end. As a Christian, though, I cannot rejoice at the death of a human being, no matter how monstrous he was."

Click here to read the entire post.

And, let's pray for peace!