As there appear to be "pathological pacifists" (And others) who deny that fighting men can "know God" AND have a "personal relationship" with Him, I offer the poem below in English and, better yet, in the original French.
God, give me what you have left;
Give me what no on ever requests.
I am not asking for rest,
Nor tranquility;
Neither that of the soul or of the body.
I am not asking for wealth
Nor Success, or even health.
Your are asked for all of these so often
That you must have none left.
Give me, God, what you do have left.
Give me what no one wants.
I seek insecurity and disquiet.
I see torment and combat.
And, God, give them to me indefinitely;
That I am sure to have them always
Because I won't always have the courage to ask You.
Give me, God, what you have left.
Give me what others don't want;
BUT, also give me courage, strength and faith.
Found on the body of Lt. Andre Zimheld, French Free Forces, Parchutiste
KIA 1942
1. Mon Dieu, donne-moi la tourmente,
Donne-moi la souffrance,
Donne-moi l’ardeur au combat.
Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, donne-moi la tourmente,
Donne-moi la souffrance,
Et puis la gloire au combat, et puis la gloire au combat.
2. Ce dont les autres ne veulent pas,
Ce que l’on te refuse,
Donne-moi tout cela, oui, tout cela.
Je ne veux ni repos, ni même la santé
Tout ça, mon Dieu, t’est assez demandé.
3. Mais donnes-moi, mais donnes-moi,
Mais donnes-moi la foi
Donne-moi force et courage,
Mais donnes-moi la foi, donnes moi force et courage,
Mais donnes-moi la foi
Pour que je sois sur de moi !
nb
Not being as creative, I go back to my Slavic roots and say the best prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God,
Have mercy on me a sinner"; OR, in the alternative,
"Mecca Delenda Est; Deus Vult!"
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8 comments:
Why is it possible for a man to kill ten people and be a serial killer in one context and a war hero in another - same actions, different context.
Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?
To "Anonymous":
The difference is an outcome of the error in translation which should be "Thou shall not MURDER". The courage of the warrior is very different from that of a murderer---Or of those who send anonymous notes.
As a US Marine I can tell you that it is absolutely possible to know God in a personal way, yet perform the duties of a soldier. Psalm 91 was shared by many in my unit over an 8 year period, some of those men didn't make it home, but they remain in our hearts forever! That psalm was a tremendous source of strength and courage for us during a war in which none of us fully understood, yet we were called on by our country to fight it. Thank you for posting this blog sir, you made my day! I was simply researching the crusades and discovered it. Well done! Semper Fi!
It's all context. A heroic warrior may use violence, and even kill, to protect innocents. Consider a Free French soldier who fought to drive Nazis from his homeland. He may have killed ten unjust aggressors while preventing the deaths of uncountable Jews.
The deaths of the Germans was tragic but necessary and justified.
The serial murderer simply blasphemes God by wickedly killing human beings made in His image.
If you can't tell the difference your moral judgment is either underdeveloped or pathological warped.
Murders are gods way of cleaning house without taking the blame
God doesn’t murder anyone. People who deny God commit murder. And only people who deny God commit murder. Because if you commit murder, then you deny God in that moment. One may beg God for forgiveness for murder, and God will know whether the individual is truly contrite, and worthy of forgiveness. An instance of abortion due to rape would be a good example of a murderer being truly contrite and desperate for forgiveness for destroying a human soul and robbing them of life. Though in the presence of the most high, beautiful, gentle creature to exist, even the most narcissistic psychopath would choose hell before attempting to lie to God. They would be overwhelmed by the power and awe which they denied out of pride, greed and lust. And the purity of their soul-even a soul which an individual has sullied with such gross self indulgence-will choose eternal suffering over trying to “cheat” the most holy and “sneaking” into the eternal joy and peace of heaven (as if that were a possibility). For that soul-“sneaking into heaven”-would be like choosing to walk around a schoolyard naked for eternity, while the ones you hurt and tortured stare at you in silence, and you can do nothing but feel their eyes on you, forever. Denial of eternal peace and joy are what hell is to me. Those who tortured others, those who live to feed their own desires, doing nothing but what you want to do. Doing nothing but chasing instant gratification. Those people may feel what they think is joy in this life, but they are always on a clock, they only have a certain amount of time to get what they want out of existence and then they’re all done. Then they have nothing. This is why modern ignorant atheism spreading to the masses is causing widespread despair, depression, drug use, suicide, crime, and general misery. And why it is so easy for corporations to control us. Because they own us and all our “stuff.” The only thing they don’t own is our soul. That belongs to God. Godless men can use God to take advantage as well, but at least the people have their souls fed, unlike secular corporations. They just take more and more and more, and give back less and less and less.
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Thanks for your service. I had always wanted to serve since I was a kid, but cancer at age 20 prevented me from enlisting, and they wouldn’t take me after (I guess they didn’t want to risk resurgence and get stuck with the bill). Anyway, I respect what you and all of your brothers in arms have done for this nation. God bless every one of you who put your lives on the line so people like me can live safely here at home. May your friends rest in peace.
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