Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Custos of the Holy Land: Fr Franҫois Mourad killed by for defending Nuns Islamist insurgents in al-Ghassaniyah
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Fr Pizzaballa talks about the killing of the
priest, new martyr in Syria. Franҫois Mourad was killed during an attack
by Islamic fighters against the Monastery of St Anthony, in Idlib
province. Until his death, the priest had worked with the Franciscans to
alleviate the suffering of Christians and Muslims. Now the village
stands completely destroyed. Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - "Fr. Franҫois Mourad's killing of is a sad occurrence
and a blow to all the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land," said Fr Pizzaballa,
Custos of the Holy Land, as he spoke with AsiaNews
about the Syrian clergyman who died on Sunday in al-Ghassaniyah, a
predominantly Christian village in Jisr al-Shughur District, Idlib province.
His funeral was celebrated yesterday in the small village of Kanaieh, a few
kilometres from where he was killed. Until yesterday, there were two versions of the murder, the first spoke
about a stray bullet, the second of an actual attack carried out by Islamist
insurgents against the Monastery of St Anthony in al-Ghassaniyah. "The second is the most reliable version," Fr Pizzaballa said. "From
the photos and the testimony of our religious, the rebels attacked the village in
past few weeks, forcing most residents to flee." The Monastery of St Anthony was the only safe haven, where Fr Franҫois
lived along with some Franciscan friars, four nuns and ten lay Christians. But
on Sunday, rebels part of a fringe extremist Islamic group, stormed that place
too." According to the Custos of the Holy Land, Islamists broke into the
convent, looted it and destroyed everything. When Fr Franҫois tried to defend
the nuns and other people, the gunmen shot him dead.
"Right now, the village is completely deserted," Fr Pizzaballa said.
"Rebels have moved there with their families and occupied the houses still
standing." "Let us pray that this absurd and shameful war ends soon and that
the people of Syria can get back to a normal life soon," he said. Hailing from a village in the province of Latakia in northwestern Syria,
Fr Franҫois Mourad, 49, was trained by the Franciscan Fathers in the Holy Land. Feeling called to a more contemplative life at the end of the 90s, he
left the Franciscans to complete his studies with the Trappists of Latrun
(Palestine). Once back in Syria, he was ordained priest by the Syriac Catholic bishop
of Al-Hasakah on the Syrian side of the Al-Jazira region. In recent years, he launched a new monastic foundation, inspired by
Saint Simon and founded a small monastery of contemplative life in Hwar, Aleppo
province, devoting himself to the training of some young postulants, all
Syrians.
He was in Hwar until this year when fighting between Islamic rebels and regime forced him to take refuge in al-Ghassaniyah,
on the Orontes River, guest of the local Franciscan monastery.
Until his death, he worked together with the friars to bring relief to
the Christian and Muslim residents of the area. (S.C.) Asian News
