Armistice Day

Wednesday 11th November, 2020

Today is Armistice Day. The relief at the declaration of a cessation of hostilities must have been tremendous. Of course there were places other than Europe where war continued and perhaps only the horror of an atomic bomb brought sense to warring factions. We have wars still. We have enemies and differing and clashing ideologies, we have many who justify even glorify wars and conflicts. They use religious language or nationalistic or racial language or the language of freedom and independence to promote, continue and expedite aggressions and conflicts. It is not only at national levels but even the turf wars of gangs or drug cartels or, sadly, tribal and family levels that we see the horrors of it all. Yet Armistice day helps us to realise that there are people who give their lives for what they believe are principles and ideals worthy of their 'supreme sacrifice'.

I managed to get to a nearby town for a Mass. We prayed for all those who have died in conflict, for those whose lives are destroyed by conflicts, for those in the midst of conflicts and for those terrified and caught up innocently in conflicts. My own experience of physical conflicts is minor but I recall the horror and fear engendered by seeing humans attack each other, of witnessing physical bullying of others and even of the sheer nastiness and evil of verbal conflicts. I have known people destroyed by words and attitudes and prejudices and gossip and innuendo. Yes people can die literally but others can die in themselves, destroyed by betrayal, ridicule or ostracism.

I need to look to myself, to the insensitive word and gesture, to the effects of malice and detraction, to believing and acting on false reports and to not understanding that people are people. As many have said ' it is the sin not the sinner ' that needs to be vanquished. Yet there are, I am sure, times when killings are necessary, the lesser evil as it were.

After the service I went to a friend's house for a special breakfast. A breakfast of local produce of sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, black pudding, haggis and much else plus hot black rich coffee. Also the sitting expectantly and with that gimlet eye of two dogs attempting to bribe or seduce one to drop a crust or two. I needed to stop the sadness of pondering wars, I needed to divert my mind and mood and focus. The breakfast, the dogs, the friends helped as did the view of the garden and the rolling hills of Fife. Simply countryside and hills and copses on view. Then on to the birds table came first a grey squirrel, then a red one followed by a plethora of varying birds. Sadly even on that table filled with many nuts, fat balls and seeds I noted the pecking order enforced by attacks and challenges. The squirrels frightened the birds, the jays frightened the sparrows, the great tits warned off the blue tits and on it went. And I warned off the terrier at my feet as he tried to snatch the titbits I had given to the spaniel.

Is this simply the case or can the vision of Isaiah I had heard read at the Mass become real. The Gospel echoed the image: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless....and their will be ' peace on all my holy mountain '. Please God we will one day realise this hope.