Archbishop Dolan's Thought for the Week

May 27, 2008

Yesterday, Memorial Day, I visited one of our many serene and inspirational Catholic Cemeteries, Calvary, to offer Mass for the souls of the faithful departed whose bodies are at rest awaiting the resurrection of the dead.
 
In the spirit of the national holiday, my prayer, along with millions of other Americans across our land, was one of particular reverence and gratitude for our men and women who had given their lives in service to this country as members of our military.
 
Believe it or not, apparently this traditional act of piety and patriotism has now become controversial, as one correspondent criticized me for this “warlike act.”
 
My response is a word I often heard growing-up: Malarkey!

If I have to apologize for paying tribute to brave soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice so I can enjoy the benefits of freedom and democracy, I’m packing up and moving to Lichtenstein.
 
I love our men and women in uniform.  I have deep respect for them and their families.  I am proud that over one-third of our military are Catholics (a percentage higher than our national proportion of the population).
 
As profoundly as I love our service men and women do I hate war!  The normative person in my life is the Prince of Peace.  The current war causes me special heartache, a sentiment articulated well by the late, great, Pope John Paul II, and us bishops of this country we love.  My hope, my prayer, is that of Pope Paul VI, expressed at the United Nations on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4, 1965, “War no more; war never again!”

But, I’m in good company, because no one dreads war more than those brave citizens who must wage it, and their courageous families tossing-and-turning at night waiting for them to come home, jumping every time the phone rings or the doorbell chimes.  Our soldiers hate war as much as a police detest crime.  Their highest motive is that the war they fight might perhaps be the last one we ever have to wage.
 
So, I’ll continue to salute them, to bless them as they prepare to depart for the front, to keep-in-touch with them as they serve abroad, to support their families, to applaud them as they walk through airports, and to get a lump in my throat as I attend their funerals.  I’ll continue to believe that military service is a noble call.
 
And I’ll keep celebrating Mass for them at our cemeteries every Memorial Day, no matter what you call me in your mail.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

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