God graciously accepts that service

Even when we are quite wrong

It’s 101 social ethics that you begin with what is, the concrete, the observable, the true (in as much as you can see it). You try your best to set aside your speculation and guesses. You save your utopian dreams for .. well, your dreams. This is because our moral action must address what is in front of us, not what we wish was in front of us. We are each called to follow our conscience. And before we do that to inform our conscience. And then comes the truly hard part, be respectful and humble when others follow their conscience and it takes them to a different place than us. The second truly hard part is that as we follow our conscience there is the chance (likelihood?) that our actions will cause others pain and damage them in some way.

As you may recall, I deal with all this grayness by joining one of my favorite saints in prayer. The Feast of Thomas of Canterbury, archbishop and martyr will soon be upon us. By my modern standards of liberal democracy I have always thought Saint Thomas quite mistaken in his views. It was James Kiefer's take on the situation that best captured my thoughts, “The chief moral that I draw from Thomas's life and death is that when a man seeks to serve God, God graciously accepts that service, even if the man is quite wrong about what it is that God expects of him.”

That is very hard to take in if you are “on the right side of history” or believe that “God is on your side.” Even if you think such slogans silly, it is still difficult. At some level we all like being right.

Recently David French wrote a piece in which he explored the shift in world affairs that has become apparent in the last couple of months: “What does America First mean for Ukraine and the Middle East?” He looks at what the situation says about the choices facing the new American president.

He covers a wide range of events. Here are three statements that capture his case about the state of things.

1. He says that it is the efforts of Israel and Ukraine, with the support of the US, that have created a situation that, at least in the short term, is favorable for liberal democracy. Totalitarian and terrorist groups are not doing well.

2. “When the war does finally end, there will be a need for a thorough investigation into accusations of war crimes committed by all sides of the conflict, including the Israel Defense Forces, but the outcome of the combat is clear, even if the legality of Israel’s operations in Gaza is obscured by the fog of war.”

3. He then goes onto the risks we face: Iran might now rush to a nuclear weapon, even with a weakened Russia Ukraine can’t sustain its losses, and no one knows what happens next in Syria.

I find myself mostly in agreement with French’s assessment. But as you consider what he’s saying, how would you state the reality we face? And what should the US do in regard to those realities? And, what will you do as a citizen given the limitations of your influence and vision?

The chief moral that I draw from Thomas's life and death is that when a man seeks to serve God, God graciously accepts that service, even if the man is quite wrong about what it is that God expects of him.

And what are we to make of Kiefer's statement? And if you don’t like his statement, what would your statement be?

This abides,

Brother Robert, OA