The cry of the blood
There are so many places where I hear the cry of the blood. It’s too easy to keep walking past the cry, pretending not to hear.
I am haunted by the words of General Omar Bradley, who served as commander of the 12th U.S. Army Group during World War II. On Nov. 11, 1949, he delivered a speech in which he stated, “Armistice Day is a constant reminder that we won a war and lost a peace. It is both a tribute and an indictment. A tribute to the men who died that their neighbors might live without fear of aggression. An indictment of those who lived and forfeited their chance for peace … Peacebuilding and the prosperity of all are accomplished not by depending on our military strength, for armed forces can wage wars but they cannot make peace.” Rather, each citizen must become involved in the work of democracy, which aims at promoting the flourishing of everyone in society.
General Bradley noted that it was particularly troubling that our technological discoveries were outpacing our ethical intelligence. “With the monstrous weapons man already has, humanity is in danger of being trapped in this world by moral adolescents. Our knowledge of science has clearly outstripped our capacity to control it. We have many men of science, too few men of God. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount … The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living.”
His words are truer today than then. General Bradley’s words shake me out of complacency. As a member of the Precious Blood family, I am called to do more than bemoan the state of world affairs. I, and you, are challenged to voice an ethical voice to our administration and our Congress. They need a moral compass. If we don’t give it, who will?
To love as God loves requires us to enter into solidarity with others, including the orphan, the widow, and the immigrant. Solidarity is nearness, commitment, and sharing in benefits and burdens that life provides. It means opening our lives to those whom God loves.
Some years ago, Henri Nouwen wrote that we cannot bring glad tidings to the poor if we are not willing to confront those who cause poverty; we cannot bring liberty to the captives if we are not willing to confront those who carry the keys; we cannot profess solidarity with those who are oppressed when we are not willing to confront the oppressor. True compassion leads to confrontation.
To be a Missionary of the Precious Blood today demands of us to be ever ready to hear the Cry of the Blood, calling us to a journey of solidarity and of compassion.
Fr. Ron Will, C.PP.S.
Provincial Councilor