Through this prayer a Christian soul arms itself with a powerful weapon – like a soldier…
There is so much violence in the Middle East.
One country attacks another and then there is retribution and that retribution is returned and again there is another attack and the cycle continues on and on and on – seemingly ad infinitum… And I have been reflecting on that over the last few days because it seems that no matter what is done for decades and decades and decades (perhaps even for centuries and millennia), there had been conflict in the Middle East.
There are THREE major religions in the area. There is Judaism, Islam and Christianity (namely Catholicism). The first two religions share commonalities with Christianity through the references in the Old Testament – though there are significant variations in teachings and in the divergence of the New Testament…
And one of the commonalities between the FIRST two of those listed religions is the teaching, “But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Exodus 21:23-25).
In the Islamic Qu’ran we are told, “Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.” And in the Judaic Book of Leviticus was are told, “And a man who injures his countryman – as he has done, so it shall be done to him [namely,] fracture under/for fracture, eye under/for eye, tooth under/for tooth. Just as another person has received injury from him, so it will be given to him.” (Leviticus 24:19–21).
And in the New Testament, we are taught instead, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” (Matthew 5:38-39).
And it has been upon this that I have been reflecting today. You see, Saint Josemaria told us, “There are countless ways of praying.” And those ways could be, public prayer through the Holy Mass, or Holy Rosary or other such prayers that are prayed either alone or in community, or silent prayer, praying words of formal prayer, or praying words that we speak from our soul or even just by sitting in silence and contemplating God Himself.
And today it occurs to me that there is a sort of violence in the peace that Christ taught. But unlike the violence promoted in other religions, this violence is not turned against each other but turned against SIN ITSELF. And in this way the soul is able to stand upright and defend itself under the Holy Gaze of God through the prayers in our lips, our minds and our hearts…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.