"The victory is peace."

The bishop had daily Mass today. I was not expecting that, considering I wasn’t at the cathedral and I only ever see him at major events. And the melodies for things like the Sanctus and the Amen were entirely new to me. Threw me off my game.

Something else that throws me off my game: the celebration at the death of Osama bin Laden. Yeah, he was a terrorist, and yeah, he orchestrated the attacks on September 11^th, but he was still a person. I turned on CNN late last night just before President Obama made his official statement. There was a reporter standing outside the White House, and he kept directing the audience’s attention to the growing group of people gathered outside the White house fence. They were celebrating and chanting “USA” and singing the national anthem. It made me exceedingly uncomfortable.

Luckily the Vatican agrees. Their statement today:


"Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace."

Hatred should never beget hatred. I know bin Laden resisted capture and most likely would not have permitted himself to be taken alive, but it still feels more like revenge than anything. A lot of people died because of him, but is more death the answer to that? We as Christians don’t live by Hammurabi’s Code. We’re supposed to be better than that. Martin Luther King, Jr. said:

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

I have the utmost respect for MLK. He was a great orator and he spread the message of nonviolence. But today Father M. takes the cake for best message. He posted the following as a facebook status: 


"A thank you to all of the brave men and women serving our nation and fighting for our security. As Our Lord told St. Faustina, 'Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to my mercy.' Death, however it comes to pass, is never necessarily 'good.' We should never seek violence for violence, or celebrate the death of another as a victory. Having celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday yesterday, it is imperative to remember that we always seek the mercy of God for ourselves and others, and seek at all times to promote, defend, and protect human life. The victory is peace. Peace comes from Christ and his mercy."

As a writer, I like to think I have a way with words. But as a person, on days when I can only convey a sense of discomfort and unease, it’s nice to be able to fall back on people who know how to speak Truth.