Back on the 10th of October (just before the Bali Bombing), I mentioned this short Mark Twain story. Perhaps an extract will bring its message back into mind in the times we are going through.

THE WAR PRAYER
O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth
to battle — be Thou near them! With them, in spirit, we also go
forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.
O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds
with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale
forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the
guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us
to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us
to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing
grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children
to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and
hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy
winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring
Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it - for our sakes
who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract
their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way
with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their
wounded feet!
We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love,
and Who
is ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek
His aid with humble and contrite hearts.
Amen.
An extract from the short story by Mark Twain
www.classicalfencing.com/sorrow/warprayer.html
- one of several links (see earlier post).
[permalink][comment] - posted by Mez @ 11/13/2002 07:37:00 pm