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."
07/24/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – A
sword will pierce her heart, yet she ponders. Such is the legacy of
Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is a legacy re-encountered within the
history of Hagia Sophia. The ancient cathedral, the heart of Eastern Christianity, was pierced
by the sword during the Ottoman era conquest. She was converted into a
mosque, and Christians pondered their future.
Centuries later, the Ottoman Empire transformed into modern Turkey.
Hagia Sophia was changed into a museum as a violent genocide targeting
Christians swept across the country. Today, Christians are forced to ponder an uncertain future.
Christianity mourns as Hagia Sophia is once again converted into a
mosque. Those Christian mosaics within the cathedral, many of which show
Mary, are covered. The cathedral’s Christian history is hidden away.
Like Mary, we ponder the future. And we mourn. “We ask that every Church toll its bells in lamentation on this day,”requested the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Encountering the mystery of Christ remains deeply rooted in
Orthodoxy. Hagia Sophia’s design testifies to the mystical union between
Christ’s bride (the church) and her encounter with God. Hagia Sophia is
often discussed in terms of spiritual intimacy and union, by both
Christians and Muslims. For whoever occupies Hagia Sophia, it is viewed
as a marriage. For this reason, the Greek Orthodox have asked that the Akathist Hymn
is sung even as church bells toll in lamentation. Mourn the loss of
Hagia Sophia, but also as the hymn suggests, “Rejoice, O Bride
unwedded, the world’s salvation… At a loss and perplexed am I. As
ordered therefore, thus do I shout to you: Rejoice, O Maiden who are
full of grace!”
Such similar language of endearment is common vocabulary when
speaking of Hagia Sophia. For example, Greek [Ecumenical] Patriarch
Bartholomew remarked in the days’ prior that Hagia Sophia is the center “in which East and West embrace.” This latest transformation of Hagia Sophia is nothing less than a new
type of embrace, laden with fresh symbolism. Turkey has intentionally
chosen today—the anniversary of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne—to formalize
the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. The treaty established
under Ataturk a secular Turkey, a country that looks at a church and
sees a museum. Today, Turkey looks past Lausanne towards its Ottoman
past. But what in this history bodes well for the future?
“[Hagia Sophia] became a symbol of conquest,” said one Turkish Christian as she recounts the cathedral’s history to ICC. “I
wonder what will come after the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a
mosque. I can’t make sense of the cry of victory for some of the Islamic
side. [They say] ‘we took your temple to the Christian world from you.
We have triumphed against Ataturk.’”
Indeed, the conversion of Hagia Sophia back into a mosque is an
achievement long looked towards by Turkey’s ruling party (AKP). Its
reliance upon Islamic nationalism has only ostracized those who fall
outside their specific belief system, isolating those of a different
conscience.
“To me, Turkey is now becoming quite impatient against Christians
and Christianity. [President Erdogan] seeks every opportunity to
establish his own caliphate,” adds another Turkish Christian. “I
think Hagia Sophia was just one of the small steps to do this. Hagia
Sophia was used as a matter of revenge, and Christianity was completely
ignored. This will not be the first (and it will) not be the end.”…
The Akathist Hymn sung today by churches mourning Hagia Sophia’s conversion includes the line “we your faithful inscribe to you the prize of victory as gratitude for being rescued from calamity.”
Amongst the sadness and anticipation of a more challenging future, there is hope and gratitude. “Rejoice, the only one who budded forth the unfading apple,” adds
the hymn. The future may look more challenging, but there is hope. That
even as Turkey fades back into an era of persecution, the church may
yet still thrive.
Thus, we ponder as we mourn today’s loss of Hagia Sophia.
