Meanwhile with ISIS continuing its murderous rampage Boko
Haram kidnapped more women and girls in Nigeria while the Ebola plague shows no
signs of letting up.
Millions of people around the world can remember where we
were on 9/11, especially in the United States.
Now many will remember, for generations, especially in
Canada, where we were when first two Canadian soldiers were run down by an
Islamist in Quebec, with one of the soldiers being killed, and then when the
Ottawa attack by another lone wolf terrorist occurred, again with a soldier
being killed.
There are two very serious errors occurring among both some
media commentators and ordinary people in the light of Islamic terrorism,
including the lone wolf attacks as well as those from the groups terrorizing so
many countries.
The first error is the rather spurious attempt to reduce
chosen evil and hatred to ‘root causes’ as remote as the crusades or as recent
as the life history of the individual lone wolf terrorists.
No amount of Islamist claims to being in line with Koranic
teachings can change their lies into any semblance of truth.
Using God in any manner as justification for the violent
acts of murder, rape, enslavement of others, or acts such as occurred in Ottawa
is the ultimate act of blasphemy and, frankly, merit divine wrath – which is
God’s alone to enact.
The second error is to confuse authentic Islam and adherents
to Islam, with the insanely evil words and actions of those who choose evil
over good, lie over truth, death over life, and hatred over love.
When what was disingenuously labeled as ‘the troubles’ in North Ireland, actually
civil war, was raging to tarnish all Catholics with the actions of the IRA or
all Protestants with the actions of the Loyalists would have been as erroneous as
today to tarnish all our brothers and sisters of the Islamic faith with the
evil of the terrorists.
It is as unlikely democratic nations can prevent most acts
of lone wolves with their evil and disordered agendas, just as, tragically
happened yet again in the United Sates, authorities can prevent school
shootings.
Yes we all can and should be vigilant, citizens who truly
care for and look after one another, especially those who are hurting.
However to dangerously curtail the freedoms which differentiate
us from those agents of evil seeking to violently impose their disorder on
others, would be to choose defeat over victory.
Likewise to give into fear, despair or even worse to misread
Sacred Scripture and see this battle between good and evil as signs of the apocalypse,
betrays a lack of faith, of intimate confidence in our All-merciful Father, in
Jesus our Redeemer, in the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier.
Jesus very clearly taught about ‘wars and rumors of wars’
and natural disasters as part of the reality of life, stressing that while all these
things will come to pass, and more, ‘the end is not yet.’ {Mk. 13:7 ff; Mt. 24:
6 ff}.
The challenge facing the entire human family in face of
terrorism, and plagues like Ebola, facing floods, drought, is, both as
individuals and nations, not to be bent towards ourselves, not to be greedy.
The challenge for Christians is to live the Gospel with our
lives without compromise – both as individuals and as believing communities.
There is enormous pressure to compromise around all life
issues from abortion to euthanasia, from the sacredness of marriage to courageously
speaking truth.
In the same Gospel passages referenced above Jesus cautions
us to not allow anyone to deceive us.
Compromising with secular values is to surrender to total
deception.
There is hope, for love is always greater, stronger.
While many were laying flowers and wreaths at the tomb of
the Unknown, two powerful images were frequently replayed on newscasts.
The first was showing the men and women who ran towards, not
from, the memorial, to administer aid and comfort to the soldier who had been
shot.
The other showing Imams and some of their people approaching
with flowers to lay at the tomb, to honour the fallen when from the surrounding
crowd a non-Muslim man emerged and embraced one of the Imams, showing anew love
is stronger.
Those two examples are the ‘true north, strong and free’.
