Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, religious

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111711.cfm

Father Capodanno

"Let everyone who is zealous for the law
and who stands by the covenant follow after me!"
Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons,
leaving behind in the city all their possessions.
Many who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom
went out into the desert to settle there.


Once again we hear of the "ferocious spirit" of the Maccabean revolution. We must often invoke this spirit because we live as sojourners in a strange land. 
I was affected by the pacifist movements of the 1960's and by the pacifist tradition within my Franciscan Order. But I know that sometimes the Holy Spirit calls good men and women to take up arms and defend their families, homes, churches and way of life. They have the Maccabees to attest to their fidelity. The Catholic Church cannot take an uncompromising stand against war on every occasion, and we have a tradition of discussing "just war" theory for that purpose. 
We also readily provide chaplains to the military services of every country where we live. Hard experience has shown that warriors need chaplains to help them maintain the boundary between soldiers and murderers. One of my colleagues at the Louisville VA, Chaplain Bren Bishop, has studied the history of the military and chaplains. He points to some of the massacres perpetrated by units of the American army and finds they did not have effective chaplains. War does terrible things to men and women and the Church must provide an active presence even on the battle field to maintain a humane spirit. 
We must also provide particular care to our Veterans who suffer the traumatic effects of war. No one is unchanged by the experience. Even the brutal experience of basic training must be integrated into a warrior's life when he or she reenters civilian life. 
During this month of November, as Americans honor Veterans, we remember Father Vincent R. Capodanno,

who was killed on a battlefield in Vietnam on September 4, 1967 as he gave physical and spiritual assistance to the dying Marines of the 1st Marine Division. Father Capodanno posthumously received the Medal of Honor, and in May 2006 the Catholic Church officially proclaimed him a Servant of God formally initiating his Cause for Sainthood.

Pray that God will bless our warriors with the courageous witness of effective chaplains from all religious traditions, and most especially that the Catholic Church will provide sufficient numbers of priests for the Army. As I understand, the American Army is one of the largest and most effective armies on earth and has less than sixty Catholic priests. They need our support.