成人快手

Good Morning,

It鈥檚 not only the Middle East that鈥檚 in a state of high alert following the drone and missile attack by Iran on Israel. The whole world is fearing an escalation of the conflict with Prime Minister Netanyahu promising that the confrontation is 鈥榥ot over yet鈥�.

Yesterday morning on the steps of our village church as people were leaving there was an outpouring of nervousness about the state of the world.
In the Book of Common Prayer there鈥檚 a special prayer for 鈥業n time of War and Tumults鈥�. Written hundreds of years ago it鈥檚 as timely as ever giving us words 鈥榯o deliver us from the hands of our enemies鈥�. Specifically it encourages us to pray 鈥渁bate their pride, assuage their malice and confound their devices鈥�. Pride, malice and devices are the vices of warmongers.

And if anyone is wondering how we should pray without taking sides then here鈥檚 the word 鈥� 鈥榓bate鈥�. Or as the Oxford English Dictionary defines it 鈥檇iminish鈥� or 鈥榙o away with鈥� or 鈥榖lunt鈥� or 鈥榳eaken鈥� whatever pride and malice are motivating them.

Here I must confess I鈥檓 not a pacifist. My father was in the army and I went to a military boarding school founded for the orphans of soldiers. I support the principles of a just war yet respect pacifists. But at a basic level I believe it鈥檚 not only acceptable but right to protect the innocent with force if necessary.
What appeals to my spirit is this prayer to abate pride and assuage malice, because it applies to both sides of a conflict. It鈥檚 pride and malice that ramp up rage and aggravate the situation.

I鈥檓 mindful that that a version of this prayer was in existence during the English Civil Wars where there was a great need for malice to be assuaged. The origin of that word 鈥榓ssuage鈥� means 鈥榯o sweeten鈥�. It鈥檚 almost an oxymoron. But in the present conflicts around the world there鈥檚 an urgent need to sweeten the malice so that the slaughter of innocents might be abated.

You could even add it to the Sermon on the Mount 鈥� not just 鈥楤lessed are the Peacemakers鈥� but 鈥楤lessed are those who have the courage to sweeten their malice鈥�.

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