Memorial Day

When we were enjoying our week with you “in view of a call,” I received word that my Uncle Val in New Jersey had passed away. His death, even though expected for some time, brought with it a surprising depth of grief, as so often is the case. I flew to New Jersey to conduct his funeral with a sad heart. On the plane I thought about my dad and his three brothers. All four of them fought in World War II. My Uncle Joe served in Bataan; my Uncle George served in the Navy and was on board the USS Missouri when the Japanese surrendered; Uncle Val served with General Patton, earning three purple hearts and one bronze star; and my dad was in the Air Force where he trained bombardiers in west Texas, which is also how he met my mother.

On this Memorial Day I am remembering them and their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for what they believed in. I also remember how little they talked about the war. For instance, I never heard about my dad’s time in Europe or training pilots in Texas until I took him to the World War II museum in New Orleans five or six years ago. Inside that place he started talking about the war and its struggles and triumphs in ways that left me mesmerized. Lisa’s father, Pat, is much the same way. Even though he earned a purple heart on Iwo Jima, he has spoken little about the war but has stood tall as a model of patriotism. On this day I thank God for their models of quiet courage and dignity. 

In thinking of them I am drawn to a story in the life of Christ where He encounters a centurion who has come to Him for help. You would have thought Jesus would have had little to do with him, because the man represented the occupation forces, was a Gentile and stood for much of what Jesus was against. The centurions were the backbone of the Roman army, known for their bravery by the fact that in battle, though others might turn and run, the centurions always held their post, even unto death. Jesus, on the other hand, seemed to be the centurion’s polar opposite. I mean, Jesus is so often considered a dreamy-eyed pacifist for the things He said – “Turn the other cheek;” “Love your enemy;” “Forgive seventy times seven” and so on. However, I would say to you that while Jesus never took arms, He never hesitated debating the fundamentalist Pharisees on their own turf, standing up to the Roman Empire, or telling the devil in essence to go to hell. He had a quiet strength that never hesitated in confronting the principalities of evil.

His encounter with the centurion was vintage Jesus. He saw in that man an understanding of faith like few others. What’s more, this man epitomized what Jesus meant when He said, “God so loved the world . . .” I think Jesus admired the centurion’s compassion, and more than that, I think He was taken with the man’s understanding of and commitment to faith.

On this Memorial Day I would like to pay attention to the model of Jesus and His ability to see in this soldier those virtues that are also virtues in the Kingdom of God. Granted, there are all kinds of questions for debate about war, but Jesus always made the philosophical questions subservient to the personal ones. To that end, let us make this Memorial Day personal.