Observemos correctamente el fin de �la guerra para terminar todas las guerras�

Monday, November 12, 2018

Tony Magliano - Freelance columnist

English Spanish

En 1918, a las 11 horas del 11mo día del 11mo mes se declaró un armisticio que puso fin a uno de los peores conflictos en la historia: la Primera Guerra Mundial.

El 11 de noviembre, los Estados Unidos, el Reino Unido, Nueva Zelanda y otras naciones observarán el centenario de ese día histórico cuando las naciones en guerra del mundo finalmente detuvieron toda matanza, daño y destrucción que colmaron los años entre 1914 y 1918.

El 7 de diciembre de 1914, el Papa Benedicto XV exhortó a las partes en conflicto a que observaran una tregua de Navidad. Pidió “que las armas callen al menos en la noche en que cantaron los ángeles”. Esperaba que tal tregua condujera a negociaciones sinceras de paz (https://bit.ly/2evHJsb). Trágicamente, su súplica fue ignorada a nivel oficial. Pero en la Navidad, los soldados destacados a lo largo de varios puntos en el Frente Occidental declararon inspirados su propia tregua extraoficial (http://bit.ly/2SX0s2O).

Ben Salmon, un valiente católico estadounidense que seguía los pasos del Jesús pacífico, se negó a matar. Fue sentenciado a muerte, pena que posteriormente fue conmutada por una larga condena de trabajos forzados en prisión (www.bensalmon.org, https://bit.ly/2pMexCD).

A causa de la Primera Guerra Mundial murieron más de 8 millones de militares. Y el número de muertos civiles fue peor: aproximadamente 13 millones, debido en gran parte a inanición, enfermedad, choques militares y masacres (https://bit.ly/2QMM9vX). La Primera Guerra Mundial, “la guerra para terminar todas las guerras”, se convirtió en precursora de la aún más horrible Segunda Guerra Mundial—la peor guerra en la historia de la humanidad – y de muchas guerras desde entonces. Francamente, ¿para qué?

Con mucha frecuencia, los veteranos que sobreviven a la guerra regresan a casa con graves heridas físicas, mentales y espirituales. ¿Por qué los cristianos permiten que nuestro gobierno los ponga en peligro? ¿No deberían los seguidores del Jesús pacífico exigir el fin de este sacrilegio, el sacrilegio de la guerra y la preparación para la guerra?

Cuidar adecuadamente de las necesidades de los veteranos, como la vivienda y la atención a la salud mental y física, es un imperativo moral que exige una mayor financiación.

Pero por el bien de ayudar a crear una cultura opuesta a la guerra y a la preparación para la guerra, una cultura que condena el envío de más hombres y mujeres jóvenes a una guerra tras otra sin sentido, tenemos que restar importancia al fervor nacionalista de ondear banderas y desfiles militares asociados con el Día de los Veteranos (observado de manera similar en la Mancomunidad Británica como el Día de Recordación), para volver a capturar el significado piadoso y pacífico que fue central para lo que originalmente se llamó este día: el Día del Armisticio.

El 4 de junio de 1926, en una resolución que reconoce oficialmente el fin de la Primera Guerra Mundial, el Congreso declaró que el aniversario del día en que cesaron las hostilidades “debe ser conmemorado con acción de gracias y oración y ejercicios diseñados para perpetuar la paz a través de la buena voluntad y el entendimiento mutuo entre las naciones”.

Doce años después, el 11 de noviembre, se designó un día festivo legal en los Estados Unidos que sería conocido como el “Día del Armisticio”, dedicado a la causa de la paz mundial.

Desafortunadamente, en 1954, el presidente Dwight Eisenhower cambió el nombre del Día del Armisticio a Día de los Veteranos, lo que hizo que la conmemoración anual se volviera más nacionalista y militarista, y mucho menos centrada en su propósito original de orar, dar gracias y perpetuar la paz, la buena voluntad y el entendimiento entre las naciones.

El 11 de noviembre, unámonos al movimiento nacional dirigido por Veteranos por la Paz para reclamar el Día del Armisticio al decir no a más guerras, y exigiendo justicia y paz en el país y en el extranjero (https://bit.ly/2NCqbto).

Comments from readers

james - 11/13/2018 09:24 AM

Armistice Day! I agree. Focus on Peace. Focus on Prayer. May God bless us all. Thank you for the article. Blessings, In Unity,

Gustavo - 11/12/2018 02:12 PM

Many of these Wars could have been averted if the Church would have followed the Blessed Mothers request at Fatima that Russia be Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The consecration would be made by a specific act of a Pope along with all the other Catholic bishops of the world. One of the prophesies made by the Blessed Mother was that the consecration would usher in a period of World Peace. Unfortunately, this act has not been followed by the Popes and Bishops that followed (don�t be fooled by the �Consecration of the World� or "the peoples of Russia"). The results that followed for this disobedience and censoring of The Blessed Mother have been catastrophic for the World as well as the Church. Today let�s say a prayer for all the brave veterans who have served our country so honorably only to be treated so disgracefully by many of the corrupt politicians who sent them to war in the first place.

JOSE IGNACIO JIMENEZ - 11/12/2018 01:17 PM

While I agree that observance of Veterans Day should be prayerful and focused on working towards a peaceful resolution to future conflicts, I don�t think this needs to be mutually exclusive with patriotism. I�m not sure if you draw a line between nationalistic fervor and nationalistic pride, nor am I sure that one needs to be drawn, but apparently this stems from your question: �Honestly, for what?� The United States entered these wars reluctantly, and some would argue that the United States waited too long to respond to a threat from totalitarian dictators on genocidal missions. These dictators did not intend to end all wars, but rather to end all civilizations that threatened their own megalomaniacal objectives or eugenicist ideals. The United States can and should be proud of its role in responding to these threats and should embrace and promote the very Catholic virtues of courage, fortitude, and charity in coming to the aid of the oppressed. We cannot hope to do that if we are not adequately prepared. If we fail to recognize that peace can and has been achieved through strength, we do so at our own peril. As faithful Catholics we must actively work to insure that we avoid war whenever possible, and that if we enter an armed conflict we do so only for reasons of self-defense and to protect the innocent and those threatened by evil forces. We must also enter these conflicts with the conviction that we cannot stand-by and allow our rights or property to be threatened by foreign powers, or watch others being slaughtered by ruthless dictators. These threats must be dealt with swiftly to prevent as many deaths as possible. That is the Christian thing to do. We can and must keep elevating our prayers for peace so that future generations will never need to pay the ultimate price for keeping our country safe and protecting the innocent from annihilation.

james - 11/13/2018 09:24 AM: Armistice Day! I agree. Focus on Peace. Focus on Prayer. May God bless us all. Thank you for the article. Blessings, In Unity,

Gustavo - 11/12/2018 02:12 PM: Many of these Wars could have been averted if the Church would have followed the Blessed Mothers request at Fatima that Russia be Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The consecration would be made by a specific act of a Pope along with all the other Catholic bishops of the world. One of the prophesies made by the Blessed Mother was that the consecration would usher in a period of World Peace. Unfortunately, this act has not been followed by the Popes and Bishops that followed (don�t be fooled by the �Consecration of the World� or "the peoples of Russia"). The results that followed for this disobedience and censoring of The Blessed Mother have been catastrophic for the World as well as the Church. Today let�s say a prayer for all the brave veterans who have served our country so honorably only to be treated so disgracefully by many of the corrupt politicians who sent them to war in the first place.

JOSE IGNACIO JIMENEZ - 11/12/2018 01:17 PM: While I agree that observance of Veterans Day should be prayerful and focused on working towards a peaceful resolution to future conflicts, I don�t think this needs to be mutually exclusive with patriotism. I�m not sure if you draw a line between nationalistic fervor and nationalistic pride, nor am I sure that one needs to be drawn, but apparently this stems from your question: �Honestly, for what?� The United States entered these wars reluctantly, and some would argue that the United States waited too long to respond to a threat from totalitarian dictators on genocidal missions. These dictators did not intend to end all wars, but rather to end all civilizations that threatened their own megalomaniacal objectives or eugenicist ideals. The United States can and should be proud of its role in responding to these threats and should embrace and promote the very Catholic virtues of courage, fortitude, and charity in coming to the aid of the oppressed. We cannot hope to do that if we are not adequately prepared. If we fail to recognize that peace can and has been achieved through strength, we do so at our own peril. As faithful Catholics we must actively work to insure that we avoid war whenever possible, and that if we enter an armed conflict we do so only for reasons of self-defense and to protect the innocent and those threatened by evil forces. We must also enter these conflicts with the conviction that we cannot stand-by and allow our rights or property to be threatened by foreign powers, or watch others being slaughtered by ruthless dictators. These threats must be dealt with swiftly to prevent as many deaths as possible. That is the Christian thing to do. We can and must keep elevating our prayers for peace so that future generations will never need to pay the ultimate price for keeping our country safe and protecting the innocent from annihilation.