Memorial Day: We Remember

On Monday, May 31, our nation marked Memorial Day. For many the Memorial Day weekend inaugurates the beginning of the summer season. Many people mark this holiday with picnics and barbecues. Families begin to spend their weekends at the Jersey shore in anticipation of summer vacation and happy times together. Children look forward to the end of school, only a few short weeks away. Memorial Day has taken on a happy tone. However, we must remember what Memorial Day truly is about.
Memorial Day provides us with an opportunity to recall with gratitude that we live in a nation which is free and that the freedom which we enjoy was won by the sacrifice of numerous men and women in the armed forces who gave their lives in defense of freedom. While Memorial Day is an occasion to celebrate joyfully our freedom, we must also acknowledge with reverence the debt of gratitude we owe to our fallen heroes.

Monuments to Heroes
Like every nation, the United States holds in great esteem the memory of its heroes. Our nation’s capital proudly displays beautiful monuments in honor of our great presidents and national leaders. We can easily visualize the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial.
At the same time, however, nationally and locally, the American people take equal care to honor all those who have died in service of freedom and in defense of our country. Large cities and small towns go to great lengths to erect memorials to those slain from the days of the American Revolution to the most recent wars in which our country has been involved. Whether these monuments be large or small, they nonetheless serve as lasting reminders of the price which was paid for our freedom.
Even more profound than the monuments and memorials is the reverence with which we commemorate those who died in the service of our country. From televised news clips and photographs published in our newspapers and magazines this week, we observed with deep sentiment the appreciation and respect paid to our fallen heroes through military ritual and prayerful silence.
On Memorial Day, throughout the nation, civic leaders, military personnel, veterans, religious leaders and civilians of all ages placed wreaths at tombs, conducted prayer services in memory of the deceased, sponsored commemorative parades and stood together in gratitude for freedom and prayed to God for blessings upon our nation, peace in the world and mercy upon the dead.

Gratitude for Our Military Personnel
During the turbulent times which formed the backdrop of Vatican II, the Council Fathers were ever conscious of the strained relations between nations. Much of the pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World is dedicated to curbing war, eliminating weapons and working towards peace. The Council also recognized the role of military personnel: “All those who enter the military service in loyalty to their country should look upon themselves as the custodians of the security and freedom of their fellow countrymen; and when they carry out their duty properly, they are contributing to the maintenance of peace” (“Gaudium et Spes,” 79).
Memorial Day also gave us the occasion to recall that, today, many men and women continue to place their lives at risk in the cause of freedom and justice. As our nation continues to wage war on terrorism and oppression, through news reports and photographs, daily we are reminded of the difficult conditions in which these men and women conduct their mission.
Our thoughts also extend to the families of our military personnel as they live in anxious concern for the well-being and safe return of their loved ones.
Recently, the image of our military was tarnished by the abusive actions of some soldiers toward Iraqi prisoners. We are moved with sorrow at the indignities which were inflicted on these prisoners.
We realize, however, that only a few are responsible. At the same time, our hearts are heavy with grief at the brutal murders of American civilians and specialists.
In this case, as well, we realize that only a few are responsible. Nevertheless, all of these acts, so degrading and contrary to the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life, remind us of our duty to work for justice, to pray for peace, and to build up the common good of the entire human family.

Legacy of Peace
The purpose of Memorial Day is an important one. As we remember our fallen heroes, let us all work for the cause for which they died: Peace.
As we pray for our men and women in military service now deployed in war-torn lands, let us pray for that which they seek to preserve: Peace.
Allow me to share with you a prayer for the men and women of the armed forces:
God, our Father, you sent your Son into the world to establish your kingdom: a kingdom of peace and justice.
We ask you to pour out your abundant mercy on those men and women who serve in our armed forces. As they daily risk their lives to promote peace and justice, make them always aware of their mission to bring peace to a troubled world, as well as hope and freedom to the downtrodden and oppressed.
Keep them safe from danger. Guard them from all harm. Lead them safely home to their families and friends. Bless them with your love.
We ask also that you embrace those who have died in the service of our nation. Forgive their sins. Welcome them into your heavenly kingdom and grant them the reward of the just.
Grant comfort and hope to the parents, spouses, children, brothers, sisters and friends of the men and women in our armed forces. Let your tender care support us all until that day when there will be no more war or bloodshed.
Loving Father, grant us peace!