Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 12:12am
Requiem
Column: Roll Down Like Water
Five years ago today our military entered Iraq in a reported effort to remove that nation's weapons of mass destruction. At the time, President Bush told the American people, "We come to Iraq with respect for its citizens, for their great civilization and for the religious faiths they practice. We have no ambition in Iraq, except to remove a threat and restore control of that country to its own people."
Five years, 3,990 American military deaths and close to 90,000 Iraqi civilian deaths later, control has yet to be restored to the Iraqi people. We are closer than we have been at any point since the insurgency began in the summer of 2003, but it is unlikely that we are nearing the end of our efforts.
Still, it is fitting that we mark this painful anniversary by remembering those we have lost. A traditional requiem serves as the funeral mass in the Catholic Church, and commends the deceased to God while petitioning for God's mercy as the departed crosses into the afterlife.
It is a mass for forgiveness and a mass of new beginnings. As the requiem says a final farewell to the departed, it welcomes the departed into eternal communion with the Lord. It begins by praying, "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them," and beseeches God's mercy on their souls with the singing of the Kyrie eleison: "Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison; Kyrie eleison" (God have mercy; Christ have mercy; God have mercy).
Out of God's mercy springs forgiveness: "Forgive, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from all the chains of their sins, and may they deserve to avoid the judgment of revenge by your fostering grace, and enjoy the everlasting blessedness of light."
As the requiem moves forward in praise of God and Christ, it concludes with the communion of the departed with God: "May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, with your saints in eternity, for you are merciful. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them."
In death, our soldiers and Marines rest in communion with their Iraqi brothers and sisters. The pain, fear and deprivation of war are past. All that is left is the blessedness of light. For those of us who believe in a merciful, loving God, the Requiem offers solace as we mourn those we have lost. For those of us who lack this confidence, it can at least offer hope that these tens of thousands of dead may find their rest. Our war continues; they have found peace.
It is our duty to work for peace among the millions of living. As we mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, we know this work to be hard. But it is to honor those we have lost and those who still cling to the lives they knew before violence overtook Iraq that we continue in our efforts to bring stability and peace. It is our duty, and neither our sorrow nor our fatigue should weaken our commitment.
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Dr. Rebecca Johnson is an assistant professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C., and is currently pursuing a masters of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary. Visit her website thatstarfish.com, or send an email to {email becky@thatstarfish.com}becky@thatstarfish.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Rebecca Johnson.
Five years, 3,990 American military deaths and close to 90,000 Iraqi civilian deaths later, control has yet to be restored to the Iraqi people. We are closer than we have been at any point since the insurgency began in the summer of 2003, but it is unlikely that we are nearing the end of our efforts.
Still, it is fitting that we mark this painful anniversary by remembering those we have lost. A traditional requiem serves as the funeral mass in the Catholic Church, and commends the deceased to God while petitioning for God's mercy as the departed crosses into the afterlife.
It is a mass for forgiveness and a mass of new beginnings. As the requiem says a final farewell to the departed, it welcomes the departed into eternal communion with the Lord. It begins by praying, "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them," and beseeches God's mercy on their souls with the singing of the Kyrie eleison: "Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison; Kyrie eleison" (God have mercy; Christ have mercy; God have mercy).
Out of God's mercy springs forgiveness: "Forgive, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from all the chains of their sins, and may they deserve to avoid the judgment of revenge by your fostering grace, and enjoy the everlasting blessedness of light."
As the requiem moves forward in praise of God and Christ, it concludes with the communion of the departed with God: "May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, with your saints in eternity, for you are merciful. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them."
In death, our soldiers and Marines rest in communion with their Iraqi brothers and sisters. The pain, fear and deprivation of war are past. All that is left is the blessedness of light. For those of us who believe in a merciful, loving God, the Requiem offers solace as we mourn those we have lost. For those of us who lack this confidence, it can at least offer hope that these tens of thousands of dead may find their rest. Our war continues; they have found peace.
It is our duty to work for peace among the millions of living. As we mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, we know this work to be hard. But it is to honor those we have lost and those who still cling to the lives they knew before violence overtook Iraq that we continue in our efforts to bring stability and peace. It is our duty, and neither our sorrow nor our fatigue should weaken our commitment.
— — —
Dr. Rebecca Johnson is an assistant professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C., and is currently pursuing a masters of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary. Visit her website thatstarfish.com, or send an email to {email becky@thatstarfish.com}becky@thatstarfish.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Rebecca Johnson.