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Joel 3:1-10. God proclaims, through Joel, that a time of war is coming and is necessary in order to gather back his children and protect them. "[I]n those days and at that time, when he restores Judah and Jerusalem," he will gather all the scattered Israelites from all the lands to which they have been taken or sold by the nations which have conquered them or taken advantage of them in their defeat. He will then enter into judgment on all those nations, because they have treated his people so badly - they have divided up the land; cast lots for the people; "given a boy as a harlot, and have sold a girl for wine." As these foreign nations have treated God's people, so they will be treated. "I will requite your deed upon your own head. I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of Judah" and they will be dispersed from their native lands. So, God says, prepare for war "beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say 'I am a warrior.'"

 

It is amazing to me how God speaks to me through these readings!! They are chosen at random, but are telling me such a clear story! Yesterday, I wrote about how Paul was telling us to love one another in all circumstances, not to seek vengeance, even when mistreated. I also said that striving for justice is good, but it is God's to achieve. Today we see what happens when God starts the process of obtaining justice for his people. He tells all, even the weak, to become soldiers - to beat their plowshares into swords.

 

In the time right after the election, I was so worried we were headed for civil war, as were many. I prayed so hard for it not to happen and, thank God, it did not (although I don't think we're fully out of the woods yet). But I was getting very strong messages that something like civil war was on the horizon. As I pondered those messages, I thought "Well, the first Civil War was necessary to right the moral evil of slavery," (the subject of yesterday's reading!), "it would make sense that if God's plan is to allow another civil war, it would be to right the moral evil of abortion." I am certain, despite the many fronts of this spiritual battle we are in, that the failure to heed the warnings of Humanae Vitae, and the resultant complete separation of sex from marriage and procreation, thus leading to the "necessity" of contraception and abortion, and the consequent "othering" of fellow human beings, so that we can justify to ourselves their "necessary" destruction, is what is at the root all of this. We are now at a stage where infanticide is legal, and the humanity of a child is determined by her desirability to her parents. That "othering" is now seeping into all kinds of places - certain people are "deplorable," and not worthy of civil rights or protections; certain countries tout their successful eradication of Down's Syndrome - not by curing it, but by aborting every baby who has it; you can see it everywhere. I have seen priests on social media treat political opponents as not worthy of charity or forgiveness. We are in a very dangerous place.

 

There is a time for war, for justice, for retribution - but it is not up to us when that time is, it is up to God. He will let us know when that time comes, and when it does, we must be ready to act - to fight the just war. We must not be cowardly or weak. Then, "in that time and in that place" that he determines, we are to fight!

 

This time may be approaching rapidly, it sure feels like it! But until God lets us know that it is here, we are to love one another, keep the faith, and try our best to promote peace (we should, in fact, continue to do all of these things even in a time of war!). It could be that we turn fighting aside by doing so! If we retaliate when provoked or unjustly attacked, we are in the wrong. God has not "proclaimed among the nations" that the time for battle is at hand. He is giving us time to avert it, and we can do so.

 

Keep loving, it works!