…for our servicemen and women who go and take these massive mortal risks in distant places for people we might regard as strangers, that is one of the most effective tools there could be of building friendship. We show we are willing to take risks, even for those we don’t know, so that they may become friends, so that there may be harmony. And that requires an enormous and unusual level of commitment. Commitment to a vision of a world that might be, and is not yet. A world where it’s possible for every stranger to become a friend. It requires a deep vision of what human beings may become, and are not yet.
For the Christian, that vision is rooted in what we heard in the rest of the Gospel reading. We believe in a God who took the most extraordinary risk ”“ to make us his friends. A God who in life and death served those who wanted to be his enemies, so that he might build community with them. A God who came to us, strangers to his love and his peace, and who offered his life so that there might be peace; lasting peace, universal community.
That inspiration, that vision, the humanity that might be and the world that might be, that continues to be part of what the Christian faith offers to the world. Because what the Christian faith offers to the whole human world is a rationale and a motive for this strange business of taking risks for people we don’t know, in contexts we barely understand, simply because we believe it’s possible that strangers can become neighbours, and that neighbours can live in harmony.
A lovely tribute.
Yes, I suppose there is a grain of truth to what the archbishop says, however I would like to point out a couple of areas where there is a slight disconnect with reality here. (Maybe I’m nitpicking, but I feel the point is worth making.) The men and women who enlist in the Armed forces (in America at least) do not volunteer for the armed forces to make friends in foreign lands. This is the oath they make: “I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” In the UK, they swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen and to their superiors in the armed services. Does this contradict the notion that they are laying down their lives for friends, including people who are complete strangers? No. But, while they may make friends and allies during their time of service, they serve their country. The best way they can serve humanity is to serve their country. Period. This is more than enough motivation. This more than justifies their service and sacrifice. This is their duty both as citizens and as Christians. And I would rather hear an Archbishop stick to the basics here rather than froth about making friends of strangers in other countries, even though of course that does happen.