Troops Overseas

Fr Bernard Carney sm

New Zealand has once again committed troops in an overseas deployment. The country’s stated aim is to assist in the training of the Iraqi army.  These trained soldiers will be equipped to face the terrorist forces of ISIS. Any commitment to a war zone is a step towards uncertainty.  Whether the training of the Iraqi troops will lead to adequate defence of that country can only be a hope. The reason why New Zealand has taken this step  to join the common good alliance is to put a halt to the barbarism many are facing in the Middle East. For evil to flourish, all it takes is for the good to sit back and do nothing.

Especially vulnerable in the engagement are the Iraqi Christians. Their presence in the Tigris and the Ephrates delta stretches back to the beginning of the Church.  These Christians have lived peacefully with their Islamic neighbours in a spirit of respect and tolerance. To see both communities threatened by extremists in a brutal manner gives us pause for thought. To see that same extremism on the streets of Sydney recently brings the fanaticism all too close to home.

In the medium term we can only hope the deployment of the NZ troops will contribute to stability and peace in the region. Some of the disquiet is almost certainly founded on the poverty of the population in that country. The poor are rightly aggrieved when they look  to the wealth of Western countries. Trading and raising the standard of living are  legitimate aspirations of a people who do not have good health and education systems.  All people are entitled to a just distribution of this world’s resources.

The Victorious Lamb of God

Against this we have the greatest of Christian festivals – the Resurrection. If the mystery of Christian living teaches us anything it teaches us the reality of sin, death and the resurrection. All humanity is part of this divine drama. The common lot of death is something we are all subject to. The call to pilgrimage through life for the Christian is not one of gloom and despondency. Rather it is a journey back-lit by the resurrection.  Everyone shares in this hope of the end times. The “World Village” which we inhabit today means there is no longer a place for conflict and division. Humanity must advance under the banners of tolerance and optimism.