Services
at the Washington National Cathedral
for the Dedication of the World War II Memorial
Faith,
National Cathedral, 27 May 2004
Yesterday we noted that a crucial dynamic of living courageously
is to do so in spite of fear. Now we would add, experiencing
the power of faith is that it doesn’t
mean fear has been annihilated. It does means feeling fear
and still remaining in touch with our heart. When deep despair
is present and all faith is gone then courage occurs to meet
a new faith uncovered and renewed. In truth, as fear will
come so will opportunities for courage. But it is not the
way of life that one always precedes the other. Nevertheless,
what will prompt courage to begin? Faith will.
What so astonishes Jesus is that the centurion who knows control
in his life turns over ultimate control for his servant. His
confession sets the tone for his faith. And here we see how
faith is covered by our sense of confession to God, (Gossett,
Kenyon, p.17) our faith doesn’t grow beyond our own
confession (G, K, p. 37). John McCain said that courage depended
on “something extra.” It is where one is at rest
with oneself and God. How transparent or opaque to all of
this were the warriors of the greatest generation? Is that
how we approach this?
The battlefield was not a complicated philosophical domain.
Participants had an ease in knowing who they were, where they
were, and why they were there. In Vietnam I regularly circled
the perimeter with questions and answers about what was going
on. The answers I got indicated that they weren’t always
so sure. In Vietnam and Korea you put in a certain amount
of time and came home. In WW II you were committed for the
duration of the war wherever it led. That commanded a certain
hopeful expectancy and urgency about the future. A faith that
said all would be well. Said one veteran, “Saying goodbye
to loved ones in those circumstances had a very special feel
to it.”
The departure points for being shipped overseas were exclamations
of worry, anxiety, and so many prayerful pleas for safety.
A veteran said, “I remember the Salvation Army gave
me a New Testament with a marker to 1 Peter 5:7, it said,
‘cast all anxiety on Jesus, because he cares for you.’
I’m Jewish…so I wasn’t sure what to do other
than be polite but it got me thinking about my family, my
neighborhood—how they sent me off—just where I
was from and what I was about. A lot to think on when you’re
19 years old.”
The verses before 1 Peter 5:7 address the need for humility
in the faithful. Humility is a word which shares the same
root as human, humor, even humus, from the earth. Sharon Salzberg
writes that this search in the human soul is for “an
abiding faith” (Salzberg, p. 153) one that theologian
Paul Tillich aligns as our “ultimate concern.”
“Those values to which we are most devoted which form
the core of what we care passionately about, a center point
for our lives.” In Jesus’ words finding your faith
will make you whole.
I sense it was easier to find a center point by members of
the greatest generation because of the ample reservoirs of
faith in the culture. In that sense their days judge us and
inspire us to find the same.
They knew well that faith is the capacity of the heart that
allows us to draw close to the present as it opens us to a
bigger sense of who we are and what we are capable of doing.
Those phrases: “capacity of the heart, draw(ing) close
to the present, who we are, and what we are capable of doing”
embrace the embarkation and service of veterans of this war
at home and abroad. (Salzberg, pp. 80, xiii). And in a subtle
way faith set them up to be able to do courageous acts since
faith uncovers our connection to others rather than designating
anyone separate and apart. (Salzberg, p. xiv)
Reaching out to one’s buddy may have been heroic in
the process but it came from care about what would happen
to him. Faith sets us on the course when there is a glimmer
of possibility (Salzberg, p.11). In some languages faith means
“to place the heart upon”, and, faith is a verb,
we “faithe” to do something and in that sense
it is the first start of courage. Winston Churchill said courage
is the first of human qualities because it guarantees all
the others. (McCain, p.12) Let me add, that if courage heads
the value, faith is at the center of value. Only when someone
has the faith to step into the darkness does the light guide
us to the next step as it reveals itself. There is a decision
to move forward in faith and into the unknown and whatever
the next moment brings. (Salzberg, p.13) It is where the present
moment is.
Faith allows us to claim the possibility that we ourselves
might change in ways that will allow us to trust more. (Salzberg,
p.15) Which brings us back to what I said before: a faith
will never grow beyond a confession of who we are before God.
If that confession is regular and big enough our faith, likewise,
will have breadth.
This great space of the National Cathedral houses a display
on, “Faith and Courage: U.S. Chaplains’ Service
in World War II.” Though the chaplain wasn’t the
repository of faith “he” (note that we have tow
female chaplains currently in Iraq.) gathered so much of it
in his person. It might be of interest for you to know that
57 chaplains were captured during the course of the war and
that 18 never survived their imprisonment. In this display
there are two stories of chaplains tending enemy wounded.
Surprising considering what we hear of cruelty in Abu Greb
prison in Iraq? Compassion on the battlefield by all was not
unheard of depending on how big your faith was.
And then there’s the story of February 2, 1943 when
the troop ship Dorchester was torpedoed and Chaplains George
Fox, Alexander Goode, Clark Poling, and John Washington gave
away their life jackets, joined hands in prayer and waited
in faith as the ship sank. They were never found.
Yesterday as I surveyed the themes we had been through, I
said it is a tall order to see harmony and coherence and that
faith was the end of the line. For a Christian it is only
the beginning for in Christ faith is not a work assignment,
it is a free gift in Him. We must intend to accept it, but
not labor for it. It was free during World War II; it is free
now. The greatest generation is helping us remember that too.
+gep
Lord, may our faith always be covered by our confession
of you. May it be full enough to embrace the love you have
for all humankind; measured enough not to lose heart during
life’s trials; and careful enough not to miss ordinary
moments. We thank you for the faith of the generation who
served this country during WW II that in their day they modeled
for us the stamina to accomplish the days and embrace the
faith that was set before them. Amen.
References:
The Power of Your Words, Walking with God by Agreeing
with God
by Don Gossett & E.W. Kenyon
© by Kenyon Gospel Publishing Society, Inc.
book available through: www.whitakerhouse.com
ISBN: 0-88368-348-2
Why Courage Matters, The Way to a Braver Life
by John McCain with Mark Salter
Random House
ISBN: 1-4000-6030-3
Faith, Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience
by Sharon Salzberg
Riverhead
Books, Published by the Berkeley Publishing Group, A division
of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ISBN: 1-57322-340-9
Medal of Honor, Profiles of America's Military Heroes from
the Civil War to the Present
by Allen Mikaelian, with commentary by Mike Wallace
Hyperion Books
ISBN: 0-7868-6662-4
Office
of the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies