Paradoxes of faith
The paradox was almost surreal. The day after the invasion of Iraq broke out, I was at a Chicago Avenue CTA stop on my way to host an archdiocesan radio show to discuss why the Catholic Church has been such a steadfast opponent of this war.
Unconsciously, I must have been whistling the U.S. Army theme, “When the Caissons Go Rolling Along.” That’s appropriate, considering the current events and the fact that I served in the Army. A man waiting nearby smiled and asked, “So, how long didja serve?”
I muttered a reply, and he nodded toward a young couple at the stop sporting anti-war buttons. The man, apparently a Marine veteran, sort of sneered at them for not backing the troops battling in the desert. I told him I thought it was possible to oppose the war and still support the troops. After all, that’s really Constitution 101.
I don’t think he was impressed but at least he conceded, “Yeah, who likes war?”
Life is replete with such paradoxes. You’d think we’d be used to such seeming contradictions; our faith is so full of them. After all, we talk of dying and rising, of sin and forgiveness, of hating sin and loving the sinner. Then there’s perhaps the biggest of all, loving our enemies.
But despite their intimate connection to our faith, paradoxes don’t seem to sit very well with us.
Paradox: Just about the time noisy antiwar demonstrators were clogging the streets of downtown Chicago on the day the battle against Iraq began in earnest, another group of people were marching through the Little Village neighborhood around St. Agnes of Bohemia Church.
The goal wasn’t very much different, but the chants were. The first were angry expressions of opposition; the second were those of prayer.
Paradox: We carry a favorable story written by the Catholic News Service (an arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) about Michael Moore’s tough anti-gun movie “Bowling for Columbine.” A reader who frothed at Moore’s admittedly over-the-top antiwar comments at the Academy Awards cancels his subscription to The Catholic New World. (After all, we’re an easy, anonymous target for people who wouldn’t complain to their pastors about the church’s position on the war.)
Paradox: Likewise, when we show on our cover a photo of an American soldier in the Iraqi desert hunkered down behind his rifle accompanied by the words “Support the troops; pray for peace,” we stand accused of glorifying violence and supporting the war. Never mind that The Catholic New World has been faithful in reporting the church’s constant questions about the validity of this war, or that it has been accused of “attacking” President Bush (not true, by the way).
Paradox: When Pope John Paul II uses Gospel language and values to plead and beg and prod and challenge the parties to this conflict not to do battle because diplomacy wasn’t exhausted, he’s accused by a Chicago newspaper of being naïve and anti-American. Imagine. For proclaiming the Gospel.
Paradox: Politicians—and many otherwise faithful Catholics—tell the bishops and the pope not to dare mention the war because their business is religion. As though war has no moral dimension and is somehow removed from real life. Religion isn’t only about ritual or recitation of prayers. Religion is about a community of people trying to make the kingdom of God visible. Remove religion from real life and it becomes empty and valueless,
The cover photo on the last issue of The Catholic New World which brought complaints and complements was indeed strong. It was a young soldier, perhaps a Catholic, and was provided by Catholic News Service. War needs a face. Otherwise it becomes a video game which disguises pain, hatred and futility. And covers up the failure of humanity to seek the Kingdom of God. I know—that’s naïve, too.
—Tom Sheridan
Editor and General Manager
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