In 1916, at the age of 17, my great-uncle
Tom was killed during the battle of the Somme along with all of his ‘pals’ and
another half a million or so boys and young men. Some 70 years later, the
medals he had been awarded posthumously were stolen from his elderly sister’s
house by teenagers of a different generation.
It’s odd how in those times the young
possessed a sense of duty, courage and honour, a long forgotten innocence
perhaps that drove them to sacrifice for their country, kin, and the freedoms
they sought to defend. What was lacking in their leaders does not lessen their
qualities.
How quickly the collective memory fades
though, even with another war in between, all is taken for granted, unappreciated,
mocked even. A Victorian scholar came to the conclusion that “War is the
foundation of all the high virtues and faculties of men” and “that all great
nations learned their truth of word and strength of thought in war; that they
were nourished in war and wasted by peace, taught by war and deceived by peace;
trained by war and betrayed by peace; in a word, that they were born in war and
expired in peace."
This is especially true in the Christian
life if the daily spiritual warfare we must engage in is not attended to.
The poor and persecuted church, dressed
in rags with calloused knees from supplication, knows it’s at war. And it leans
in hard to prayer, clings to its saviour, knows it’s only source of hope and
strength. And strangely, through those times of strife, the persecuted become
more and more open hearted to one another too; in similar fashion to those who
lived through wars do; they reminisce about those days when people pulled
together, looked out for one another. They are growing ever stronger in faith
and virtue.
As the persecuted church is tested by
such trials; the western church has a far greater test to endure; prosperity.
The peaceful unhindered practice of faith, lives of relative opulence, slumped
on the sofa, remote control in one hand and a mug of tea in the other. Smooth
knees and calloused hearts ? It takes us on a downward path to complacency and
even to an illusory sense of entitlement. This weakens souls and eliminates
virtue. It’s an invisible war, but an eternally dangerous one.
Our memory has faded too, we forget what
Jesus did for us, fail to appreciate it and take it for granted instead of
developing a renewed sense of duty, courage and honour. Called to be vigilant; to
pray like our lives depended on it (they do), make sacrifices for others, pass
the test of generosity to those in need, be in solidarity in practical helpful
ways with our suffering brethren. We are all required to show up for battle
each morning, and fight all the day long, for what we believe in, cherish, hope
for.
