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The War Between Neighbors

 


I have kept silent about the war in Ukraine, not wanting to alienate any who read my posts. However, being silent about something historical and tragic is not an good option either. What I will say is how sad this conflict is. Cities laid waste, trenches of civilian bodies, war crimes, and no end in sight. How do we arrive at this place? Our Lord said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these..” (Mark 12:31). And we see what happens when we don’t, necropolises (dead cities) and generations snuffed out because of idealism, greed, inability to compromise, and more. 


I do not take a side in this conflict. Russia’s invasion is illegal, but  know desperation makes nations do unimaginable things: The Nazis rose because Germany was sanctioned heavily after WWI, and The Empire of Japan rose due to fuel costs and embargos. We like the theater of war to be simple, hate them and love them, like Marvel stories with superheroes and villains, the villain being a enemy to destroy, but Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”  (Matthew 5:43-46). And remember we all are enemies of God till we believe in Jesus, “For while we were still weak, at the right time. Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11). 


I am not skirting the atrocities. I have seen the footages of acts of carnage. But my aim is not to say Russia is the diablo or Ukraine is the Saint, but that this is tragic, that both sides are losing sons, brothers, fathers, and in some cases daughters, sisters, and mothers. 


Why do we war? Is it because the fallen angel Mars/ Baal who is really Satan who started the first war, the war in heaven (Revelation 12:7-10), compels the images of God to strike each other down so that he can enjoy seeing God’s image torn to pieces and snuffed out? I think so. But in addition, I believe war comes from despair and hopelessness, an exhaustion of any answer but the sword, and at first it seems glorious, the uniforms and parades, but quickly the death toll reminds us we are killing those in the image of God, we are killing our neighbor rather than loving them. There is a key in the words of Christ, “love your neighbor as you love yourself,” meaning put yourself in their shoes, you both have families, you both have needs to eat, travel to work, and you both don’t want to die. 


The answer to this conflict is in Christ’s words, “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” You don’t harm yourself, so why would you harm them? There has to be another way than tank shells. I mean Ukraine and Russia as so close in culture, even thirty percent of Ukrainians only know Russian. President Zelensky isn’t wrong to defend his nation, and President Putin is backed into a corner with no way out; they both cannot yield on principle. But they both share the same religion, Eastern Orthodoxy. Is there not a bridge through the words of Christ that can make a path for peace? Is the answer “love your neighbor,” and “love your enemy?” In this case the enemy is a neighbor. 


I do not presume to say a path to peace is easy. The finer details I cannot even fathom. But the spirit to beginning a path is Jesus’ words, “love your neighbor,” and “love your enemy.” Amen. 


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