If you happen to bump into me today, you'll find me a little more ornery than usual. Today is Ash Wednesday, which means that I will be doing my best to fast and so hypoglycemia will certainly have me in its thrall. In moments where my Catholic faith causes me discomfort, I am forced to remind myself that my sacrifice is small in comparison to the price many others have paid and are paying for their faith.
Nowhere is this more evident than Northern Iraq, especially within the territory held by ISIS. There have been Christians living in Mesopotamia since a few moments after the Ascension of Christ, and yet as I write this, many are already living in refugee camps miles from their homes, which have been ransacked or destroyed. All semblances of 2,000 years of tradition, outdating both Islam and the Crusades, may very well be swept away in a few short months if the violence continues unchecked.
Here in the West, it is hard to imagine someone raiding your home, taking your property, or threatening your family on the basis of religion alone. Bourgeois as we are, it is our natural assumption that thieves and thugs have the decency to want your wallet more than your life, let alone your beliefs. But for adherents to ISIS and its perverse reading of Islam, the fact that the families next door, which may be of the same ethnic and socio-economic group as themselves, but prays to the Trinity and not to Allah, is more than reason enough for their slaughter. Indeed, this has already happened more than may be properly counted, due to the continued chaos.
I have written here several times over the last few months what needs doing to put a stop to this violence, and yet Obama and co. have continued to drag their feet as innocent men, women, and children die. While this is a deplorable and cowardly state of political affairs, this is no excuse for us to lapse into despair.
Christ himself invited all people to pray for miracles. Let us then take this Lenten season to pray for an end to the violence in Northern Iraq, and for our leaders to be guided in how to bring peace and prosperity to the region.
Funnily enough, this is both the least and the most we can do as children of the Almighty. In the end, Lent is a time to recount our failings and make new, better habits our own. Surely we can committee to praying for peace over the next forty days - would you, put in their position, not want someone praying for you?
