WAR GAMES ARE BAD FOR THE SOUL----CONVERT VETERANS DAY BACK TO ARMISTICE DAY

Headline---“'Call of Duty' Sales Hit $400 Million”--- Activision Blizzard Inc. said its "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" had the biggest launch of any game ever.* Thus salutes the Wall Street Journal 11-12-11, a couple days after this video game’s release, just in time for Veteran’s Day 11-11-11.  While veterans know better than anyone, war is not a game.

A customer takes a number to reserve a copy of Activision's 'Call of Duty-Modern Warfare 3' videogame at a GameStop in New York on Monday 11-11-07 -  photo Bloomberg News

Contrast this commercial success, with the final words Jesus said to his gathered church, in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The apostles did not understand these words then, and we still stumble through repetitive, uncomprehending wars, and their glorification, 2000 years later.

Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  Mt 26:52-53  {The weapons we wield now go disastrously way beyond the sword.}  Shortly after this, in his life and death dialogue with Pilate, Jesus continues, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."  Jn 18:36 

Jesus and Judas, Peter and Malchus {servant of the High Priest} in the Garden of Gethsemane

Our central cultural story of honor has become the glorification and weaponization of our trained-to-kill commandos who can inflict terrible death, and die, for this world’s current number one kingdom.  Our kingdoms are of this world, and they are more important to us, in blood and treasure, than God, and His Word.  That puts our country, and many others, squarely in violation of the First Commandment.  Add to this our nation’s adoration of Wall Street wealth, and we have social sin enough to sink the ship of state, before even considering the anti-life cannonballs we shoot ourselves with--abortion and state sanctioned executions.

ring Veterans Day back to its origins in Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918, a celebration of the end of WWI, that was to “end all wars,” and bring a conversion to truly do what Jesus commanded by word and deed—terminate all justified violence, by loving one another as he loves us.



 

Nov. 11^th is also, by the mystery of God’s grace, the day the Catholic church celebrates the feast of St. Martin of Tours, one of the early churches’ conscientious objectors to war. When he converted to Christianity in his youth he said, "Put me in the front of the army, without weapons or armor; but I will not draw sword again. I am become the soldier of Christ."

St. Martin of Tours divides cloak with the Beggar--by El Greco

 

* http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204224604577031882854637196.html#ixzz1dVogFawv

For a previous WSJ article with more detail on the video war game marketplace see—
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204554204577024512478892168.html

See my July 4, 2011 entry, SUPREME COURT LEAVES CHILDREN'S WINDOW TO THE SOUL, OPEN TO PURVEYORS OF VIOLENCE, in archives, for futher comment on our war video games.
      
For more on the life of St. Martin of Tours see this article—esp. the first 3 paragraphs.
**   http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=81

And to see a little of what the other side of war can be, please view this video sent by Fr. E.C. McCarthy.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/W86jlvrG54o?rel

Illumination by Kathy Brahney

More on what I term “the sword discourses”, in subsequent web writings. Jesus wrangles with his disciples over taking up the sword to preserve worldly power, at the end of his earthly ministry.  These neglected words [read Mt 26:52-54; Lk 22:35-38,49-53; Jn 18:10-11,36] are His statement on war & violence, as he then consistently offers perfect personal example of death and new life-- permanent replacement for the institutionalized violence of all worldly kingdoms.