Genesis, Chapter 31,
Verse 53
May the God of Abraham and the God of
Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us!” Jacob took the oath by the Fear of his father Isaac.
Laban and Jacob both
take oaths here not to war with each other. Nahor[1]
was the brother of Abraham and an idol worshiper who used several God’s as a
type of insurance policy. Laban here is doing the same mentioning His gods but
Jacob wanted to ensure Laban that there is only one God which he states was the
Fear of Isaac.
Laban sets up a pillar
as a border line for the two. War and the taking of life by each other have
been with us since the dawn of time. Christ came to stop the cycle of revenge
to change the law of an eye for an eye. Yet, there are times we must take up
the sword and not stand by to let the evil defile the weak. We are not to tolerate
bullies or murders. God would not be pleased with us to meekly watch another Rwanda
in our time.
Today is my grandson’s
15th birthday; I cannot shape the future to protect him but I can help form his
character to handle whatever the future brings by ensuring he has the Holy Fear
of God. Today is also the Feast Day of St.
Ignatius of Loyola, who was a soldier and saint. Ignatius was the founder
of the Jesuit order whom our Holy Father Francis was a member of before filling
the shoes of Peter as head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The church always encourages us to be loyal and good citizens but
citizens of heaven first. Today I would like to continue our book study of John
McCain’s book Character is Destiny[2]
and highlight the life of John’s example for good CITIZENSHIP: Pat Tillman.
McCain says of Tillman:
He gave away the fortune and fame of a
celebrity to serve his country in its time of need and leave us with a lesson
of real heroism. He was quite a man, tough, honest, overachieving, and intense,
colorful, daring. His parents were strict, but fun and encouraging. He was
raised to be brave, work hard, not to brag but to believe in himself. He is
remembered as the first one to help a friend in trouble, to stand up to a
bully, to try to do the right thing. He thought for himself, and had, without
doubt, the courage of his convictions. As a strong safety for the Cardinals,
hard-hitting Pat Tillman broke the team record for tackles, 224, each one of
them bone-rattling. The next year, the Super Bowl champions, the St. Louis
Rams, offered Pat a nine-million-dollar contract. He turned them down. The
Cardinals, who had given him a chance when others wouldn’t, could afford to pay
him less than half that generous sum. But they had his loyalty. And loyalty is
something Pat Tillman took very seriously. Yet, He knew Americans had much more
important allegiances that we must live up to, and he intended to live up to
his. Pat walked into his coach’s office just after he returned from his
honeymoon, and told him that he was going to leave football, and his $3.9
million salary, and join the army. On April 29, 2004, Pat Tillman died as he
had lived, bravely, in the service of his country. His unit was looking for
Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. They were divided, and separated at a distance
that made it hard for the Rangers in each squad to see one another. The sound
of gunfire, real or mistaken, caused the Rangers to believe they were under
attack. Someone in the squad behind Pat Tillman mistook Pat and his squad for
the enemy, and began to fire at them. Pat was killed.
John McCain in reflecting
on the citizenship of Tillman says:
Our country’s security doesn’t depend
on the heroism of every citizen. Nor does our individual happiness depend upon
proving ourselves heroic. But we all have to be worthy of the sacrifices made
on our behalf. We have to love our freedom, not just for the ease or material
benefits it provides, not just for the autonomy it guarantees us, but for the
goodness it makes possible. We have to love it so much we won’t let it be
constrained by fear or selfishness. We have to love it as much, even if not as
heroically, as Pat Tillman loved it.
Soldiers go to war knowing they might lose everything. Steel your
heart the same way as a soldier of Christ: going to war against the forces of
darkness.
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