Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
"Pope: Christians cannot be anti-Semitic," from Vatican Radio, June 24
Pope Francis says due to “our common roots” with the Jewish people, “a Christian cannot be anti-Semitic!” The Pope was speaking to a 30 strong delegation from the
International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC)
who gathered in the Apostolic Palace’s Hall of the Popes for a private
audience Monday. The IJCIC is committed to developing relations with the
Vatican’s Commission on Religious Relations with the Jews, the Orthodox
Christian Church, the World Council of Churches, and other
international religious bodies.
Though he acknowledged he has met “important personalities of the
Jewish world,” Pope Francis admitted this marked the first time he was
addressing an official group of representatives of Jewish organizations
and communities. And as such, he wanted to recall that landmark Second
Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate which he described as a “key
point of reference for relations with the Jewish people.” “The fundamental principles expressed by the Declaration,” he
continued, “have marked the path of greater awareness and mutual
understanding trodden these last decades by Jews and Catholics” – a path
very much supported, he noted, by his predecessors.
Pope Francis recalled his own friendships with leaders of the Jewish
world while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, saying these “friendly
relations are in a way the basis for the development of a more official
dialogue.”
The Pope encouraged those present to “follow this path trying, as you
do so, to involve younger generations.” “Humanity,” he said, “needs our
joint witness in favour of respect for the dignity of man and woman…and
in favour of peace.” Hat tip: Voice of the Copts
