a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:8
As a Catholic, I wish Pope Leo would either take a seat or keep his focus on Jesus. Whenever he weighs in on current events, he sounds like he just kicked off his sneakers after a "No Kings" political protest.
According to Pope Leo, "God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war." Well, excuse me, but it's not up to the pope to determine whose prayers are heard by God. He needs a Bible refresher course. Has Pope Leo never read the Book of Joshua? He appears completely unfamiliar it. God's command was to wage war "without mercy" in order to secure the Holy Land.
The New Testament places the emphasis on our fallen human nature and evil influences as the cause of war; James 4:1and especially Ephesians 6:10-18 make a firm point of this perspective. St. Paul's entire passage about the "full armor of God" is hard truth and pure poetry. Spiritual warfare is definitely a factor in the US-Iranian conflict, but so is the goal of preserving the world's security.
And the pope should maybe reread the Book of Revelation, which in Chapter 6 describes global war beyond what we have yet seen, war which God happens to permit--divine power is given "to take peace from the earth" (perhaps coming soon to a continent near you).
But the pope says God won't listen to prayers from war fighters. Really? Oh, Leo. Stop it. You're being silly. God listens to everyone. At this point, I'd rather hear you give another off-topic sermon about dangers to the environment.
 |
| Ephesians 6:10-18 |
