Towards a Post-War Lebanon

Sometime ago, John Paul II made it clear that Lebanon as a nation has a certain vocation. In “Lebanese blogger” one concluded: “Lebanon is above all a ‘pluralistic’ model where the power is shared between different confessions who –nonetheless- strongly share common values through an ever booming culture and economy.” Fr. Joachin Bernas, SJ wrote and interesting column on the Inquirer quoting from a Jesuit-run America magazine that “the Lebanese experiment in multi-religious co-existence, what the Lebanese call ‘conviviality,’ a promising alternative to government by the mullahs, has been dealt a crippling blow. The weakening of Lebanon means fading possibilities not only for Middle Eastern Christianity but also for interreligious coexistence. . . . The current crisis calls for American and other Western Christians to defend Lebanon and its Christians with the strongest expressions of solidarity.”

If this experiment, which was strongly recommended by John Paul II in his last visit to that country, would succeed, then Middle East could have a fresh breath of freedom, based on this multi-religious, multi-ratial society, which I believe the Lebanese people have the right and capacity to build. We could have peace in the Middle East, a peace which would be based on justice not on “Pax Americana” similar to “Pax Romana” centuries before where the guardian of peace are arms and police power. History has to move ahead in dialogue based on justice and respect for each other.

Surely, it seems to be a step backward in this recent war. But this exercise in futility has to end in one way or another!

I would like to see a post-war Lebanon pursuing this end. Both Hezbollah and the so called Israel Defence Forces, who acted more as offensive should learn the futility of war and violence. If only instead of missiles and rockets where sent, goodwill, economic aid, food, mutual aid and help, perhaps friendships between them would grow.

It would take at least fifty years to even start maybe a riconciliation between these two warring nations. I hope and pray the sufferings of both would bring them to understand one another since the pain death and destruction escapes boundaries. May the members families of friends of both Lebanese and Israelites would take more the path of peace and riconciliation coming from a shared suffering of this horrible war towards a lasting brotherhood based on justice.

Is our world leading to political self destruction?

From a certain point of view, which is basically general, and upon comparison of the last two wars in Iraq and now in Lebanon, there is a radical change of perspective in the manner of waging war. A dangerous development which leads to a precedent in warfare in international scene.  I am convinced that sooner or later the world will learn that war is an exercise in futility.  But it would take a certain process.

The world now is deprived of the awareness of a Father. The international community and family of nations could never be achieved fully if there is an absence of a deep consciousness that the world is really one family of nations and therefore what is presumed is the reality of a Father: whatever you want to call it, Yahweh, God, Allah. If humanity does not go deep in this awareness the realization of belonging to a family of nations and therefore as brothers, the dream of a world of peace and justice would just be a dream.

I am reminded of the biblical Jewish tradition, that after Adam and Eve’s separation from this “Father” otherwise called their creator, its immediate effect, at least in the Jewish bible, even though it maybe took place after thousands of years, Cain killed his brother Abel. It is said to be the first written account of murder in the world because the real family ties that bind brothers was turned into jealousy, mistrust, hatred, anger ultimately murder. Diplomacy was absent. From that act of violence, it grew exponentially in history, especially until now when the technology of the killing power of arms is doubled if not quadrupled.

But let us go back to this war of our times:

When in the 1990’s before USA and allies attacked Iraq, it was done when diplomacy seemed not to succeed. Even it could be said that there was a prior plan to invade Iraq, US led coalition forces kept their guns silent. Only after talks and diplomacy in the UN failed or was interpreted to fail, that hostilities began. This was repeated when again, Iraq was invaded for the second time. At least there was first of all an investigation of the so called weapons of mass destruction, and when Iraq did not anymore allow UN observers to enter Iraq, since they out rightly denied it, (and they were vindicated since it was proven to be true – the US led coalition did not find anything to conclude about these weapons of mass destruction), the guns were fired. US and invaded Iraq, which I believe was their first intention after all.

Now, in this war in Lebanon the inverse is true. The guns are now being fired at will irrespective of the innocent victims involved. While the guns are being fired, irregardless of where it come from, diplomacy is being painstakingly and slowly done. We have here a new working theory of war and diplomacy. An outright affirmation of “Might is right”. Superior force of gunpowder is being used at will since there is a loss of judgment what is a military target and civilian target. And while the killings are going on, diplomacy is being used to cover up the war till objectives are attained. And if diplomacy does not succeed or is intended not succeed, hostilities continue at the expense of civilian deaths, to uphold forward political, economic and cultural intentions of the aggressor. It seems to me that by the military actions of Israel, they do not want only to do away with Hezbollah but to change the political, cultural, economic reality of Lebanon. This, with the blessings of those who supply them arms. It is a war against Lebanon, not only Hezbollah. It is even termed: “collective punishment”

There is a blatant denial of the principle: “The end does not justify the means”. Irrespective of the end and the purpose of Israel, innocent victims are being killed! War and aggression is justified even the means are morally evil. Self defence is evoked but it’s not the militants that are being killed but civilians.

The world is leading itself to a “justification of the means, however murderous, in order to attain its end;” and that “power and decision making comes from the barrel of the gun.” This is very dangerous development to the civilized world which is fast becoming uncivilized. We are evolving backwards rather than forward.

If the divine “Fatherhood” is not established in the consciousness of man, diplomacy could be useless because there is not anymore a clear objective standard of right and wrong but much depends on the “number of missiles” and military equipment.

Divine Fatherhood of Allah/Yahweh is for me a basic solution in the Middle East, Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. Construction of a multi-religious, multi-racial Middle East is a must based of common brotherhood. It is not true that Muslims and Jews came from the same Father Abraham?

Here is a quotation from a Hebrew Holy Bible:

Gen 50:15 After the death of their father, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still hates us and plans to pay us back for all the harm we did to him?” Gen 50:16 So they sent a message to Joseph: “Before our father died, Gen 50:17 he told us to ask you, ‘Please forgive the crime your brothers committed when they wronged you.’ Now please forgive us the wrong that we, the servants of your father’s God, have done.” Joseph cried when he received this message.

In fact forgiveness is mentioned one hundered and ten times in the Old Testament.

Here is another quotation from the Koran:

From the Sura 5 entitled “The Table”. (5:12) Allah did aforetime take a covenant from the Children of Israel, and we appointed twelve captains among them. And Allah said: “I am with you: if ye (but) establish regular prayers, practise regular charity, believe in my messengers, honour and assist them, and loan to Allah a beautiful loan, verily I will wipe out from you your evils, and admit you to gardens with rivers flowing beneath; but if any of you, after this, resisteth faith, he hath truly wandered from the path or rectitude.”

(5:13) But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard; they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the message that was sent them, nor wilt thou cease to find them- barring a few – ever bent on (new) deceits: but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind.

I discovered that the forgiveness in the Koran is mentioned one hundred fifty four times!

Violence breeds another violence. “An eye for an eye” makes the world blind, as Gandhi once said. To reverse this tide of self destruction, we have to realize that all of us belong to the same family, having the same Father and therefore to preserve this family from within and without, ultimately all of us will be confronted by this choice which could be freely decided: to forgive to have lasting peace. A Christian leader, John Paul II, once announced at the end of the last millennium: There is no real peace without justice, but there is no real justice without forgiveness.

Is there light in this darkness of war in Lebanon?

This current war in Lebanon bleeds our heart: innocent, handicapped children, women families displaced, death, horror, bombs! It could make our hearts numb. Are there hopeful signs? The world seems to be deaf and blind of the sufferings of the Lebanese people and those victims of rockets from Hezbollah militias. Political solutions seems to diminish in face the roar of guns.

A light in the darkness through small could be seen from afar! E-mails from young people of Lebanon gives us some light in this immense darkness. Prayers and fasting done by many Filipinos, quitely.

Noteworthy is the news from the Statement of the Holy See Press office. It says:

«The Holy Father is following with great concern the destinies of all the peoples involved and has proclaimed this Sunday, July 23, as a special day of prayer and penance, inviting the pastors and faithful of all the particular Churches, and all believers of the world, to implore from God the precious gift of peace».
«In particular, the Supreme Pontiff hopes that prayers will be raised to the Lord for an immediate cease-fire between the sides, for humanitarian corridors to be opened in order to bring help to the suffering peoples, and for reasonable and responsible negotiations to begin to put an end to objective situations of injustice that exist in that region».
«In reality, the Lebanese have the right to see the integrity and sovereignty of their country respected, the Israelis the right to live in peace in their State, and the Palestinians have the right to have their own free and sovereign homeland».
«At this sorrowful moment, His Holiness also makes an appeal to charitable organizations to help all the people struck by this pitiless conflict».

In the past few days some young people from Lebanon had sent us their appeal for prayers –

“We need all your prayers”. “With the situation of our country which degenerates every moment, it could be the risk of losing hope… But, however, we want to continue to believe in the love of God and launch ourselves even more in loving concretely. We count on your prayers and your thoughts and we assure you of ours”.

A planetary prayer – In different parts of the world have already started initiatives of prayers and also different countries in the Middle East are praying for peace, with a prayer chain which covers the whole day by saying the Rosary. Spontaneously start off again with “Time-out”, a minute of prayer or reflection (at 12:00 noon Italian time) to implore for the gift of peace; prayer vigils are increasing, in small or big scale. Israeli youth leaders in “one voice” blog are doing what they can to change the situation and mentalities.

Another blog from Lebanon shows how they help young children cope up.

There are also prayer vigils among muslims and Christians in a Christian center near Beirut where organized by young people themselves, by reading from the Bibile and the Koran. Our very own Fr. Advincula in the parish of Perpetual Help showed a courageous act in welcoming refugees, and so with other catholic centers, which are open both to Christians and muslims alike.

Is there anything good that could come out of a seeming inevitable escalating war? All wars someday will never be justified. Morality and civil law will develop that it would be unthinkable to justify any war. Like in the past, some centuries before, slavery was quite accepted; now however, it is unthinkable in a civilized world to legalize slavery, more so to give it a moral approval. With regards to war, humanity has to learn, it seems, to experience the full extent of the evil of any war in order to understand its moral, military, legal, political, cultural, human, enviromental futility!

Violence breeds another violence! (See previous blog)

“Save the Lebanese Civilians Petition”

Zenit.org reports that Archbishop Antonio Franco, our former apostolic nuncio in the Philippines, now in Israel and apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine, wrote a letter to Catholic ordinaries of the Holy Land, dated July 17, in which he expressed the closeness of Catholic communities worldwide.

The letter reproduces in an annex the words the Pope spoke last Sunday at the Angelus. The archbishop recalled that the Holy Father prayed for the victims and reminded “political leaders of the need and urgency to return to the path of reason and dialogue.”

In this war, the Lebanese civilians are asking for signatures in their appeal for peace! Let us join them. Click the petition page and sign. Another petition for ceasefire is in this page. Thank you!