We are All Immigrants: Children and Grandchildren of Immigrants

By Monica    Columbus, Ohio

        Coretta Scott King once emphasized, in recent years, the level of sheer despise and disrespect along party lines people exhibit toward each other in the United States.  It so greatly grieved her that she said that her husband did not do all that he did in bringing people together and building brotherhood for this!  She pondered aloud where in the world this even came from, in both parties, and prayed that dialogue, respect, and courtesy would be rekindled among us all.

Today in Columbus, Ohio!

       Today I had the pleasure and duty of demonstrating at the State House here in downtown Columbus, Ohio against the U.S. immigrant and refugee policies that have more recently landed some small children in "jail" for days, terrifying them and millions of others.
      This includes my own ESL (English as a Second Language) populations as an ESL teacher in Colulmbus City schools for most of the past 11 years.  During the six years as a mainstream teacher, I always taught ESL students as well. In their honor mainly, but for all those suffering at the hands of these unbelievable policies, I joined thousands of others downtown in solidarity and protest.

   

       Their has been an extremely high anxiety level in many of my students and families, with lots of tears, and I have had to comfort many.  Several large families who have been at my school all five years "ran," meaning, left this school year, trying not to be found by moving around, or are attempting to move back to Mexico, Honduras, etc, into highly dangerous and poverty-stricken destitution.  It appears worth it for some who witness or hear of the trauma of what is being done to others, even children.  They wonder too, as do I, what is next if this is possible.
      WOSU media online just posted the following, which may surprise those who think everyone is overreacting or making these things up about the current state of affairs from a Trump administration spokesman:
 "From Tyler Houlton, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, welcomed interest in the immigration system and said only Congress has the power to change the law.

"'We appreciate that these individuals have expressed an interest in and concern with the critical issue of securing our nation's borders and enforcing our immigration laws,' Houlton said. 'As we have indicated before, the department is disappointed and frustrated by our nation's disastrous immigration laws and supports action.'"

     Today, I walked throughout the entire population of protesters --  I wanted to stand with Catholics to be a visible Catholic presence there -- I could find only two priests and about 6-8 Catholics that I recognized.  It had been put on by the Domestic Workers Alliance, The Leadership Conference, the American Civil Liberties Union, and MoveOn.org.  

       I confess to have only found out about it today by a dear friend who was at the 8:30 mass with me.  I do not own a cell phone or computer and rarely watch TV (I am not condoning this!), and did not realize so large an event was happening.  I was elated to lend support to something and to people so near and dear to me.

       Back to Coretta Scott King and the partisanship that seems to be pushing out level headed thinking and humaneness, I wonder where the Catholics were?  I have protested against the abortion mills and industry often with many, but why were they not here?   I understand why there were nearly no Hispanic people (many of whom are Catholic), and much of this is mainly for them, because they do not want to further be a target for themselves and their families.  But where were those who value the sanctity and sacredness of all human life, especially children.... Those who greatly value strong families and family ties, hard work, and family values?  One sign put it correctly:

Where is the Catholic Outrage? 

        This sentiment is in terms of the ordinary Catholic lay person protesting the recent crackdown of illegal immigrants and refugees.  Yes, our beloved Ohio bishops put out a clear and strong statement in their pastoral letter a year ago, (see last year's article on this site: "Bishops Speak Out on Trump's Policies Against Immigrants and Refugees," June 16, 2017).  Moreover, in June Pope Francis has recently backed the U.S. Catholic bishops in denouncing the new asylum-limiting rules as immoral, I am proud to say.  In general though, you typically do not hear middle class white Catholics speaking much on these things in sympathy toward the immigrant and the refugee.
      Here in Ohio, you would think there would be such gratitude among most white middle class Catholics from their own immigrant history 2, 3, or 4 generations back: of immigration to the U.S. and specifically to Ohio from Ireland, Germany, Poland, England, and Italy, among other places.
      Our families were the lucky ones, so you would think we would want to give back for the sake of others in the situation our forefathers were in a few generations back.  We truly are an entire nation of immigrants, except for the Native Americans.  The backlash against them is not new though, and it is worth looking back at newspaper headlines and sentiment in New York City and Boston during the 1800's against the waves and waves of mostly Catholic poor immigrants.
 "They're going to take all our jobs!"
"They're hooligans who drink and beat their wives!"
"They are ruining our society!"

        Some of the time the Catholic Church did reach out earnestly to help settle the genuine problems that the swell of poor people had created, compassionate people with a strong sense of social justice and the preferential option for the poor stepped in to help these people along.  Where has our compassion gone?
        My father remembers as a teenager, watching the news and seeing ocean-liners filled with pleading Jewish immigrants wanting to port in New York, and being turned away (1940's).  They would sale from port to port and nobody would take them, to finally head back to Germany and their certain death, unless compassionate people broke the law and hid them.
       In the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., Hitler was quoted as retorting, when under criticism yet seeing even the response of the United States, that the Germans did not want these "Jewish rats" either, so is this such a bad thing?

 

     
         A Hispanic man attested to 146 Ohioans being rounded up at a work site this past week and put into a migration camp, terrifying them all, but especially fifteen small children who were kept in "jail" for two days.  He kept saying, "Fifteen kids right here in OHIO!  It's happening right here in OHIO!" He also mentioned a 19 year old girl being gunned down and killed on the border of Texas in Texas this passed month.  In the United States of America?  There is not a humane way to stop someone coming in illegally?  I know I certainly shook my head in disbelief.

       I was interviewed by a television reporter and I explained the terrible situation of my ESL families, and that the Catholic presence is here at this protest, but not as strong as it could be.  While there were many Trump-bashing signs, which the thought probably kept some Catholics away,  most were thought-provoking and true.
      After expressing to the reporter my grave disapproval of President Trump's immigrant and refugee policies, particularly putting teenagers and children in equivalent to large dog cages, apart from their parents, I did say that he did a major feat in rescinding the Mexico Policy, by once again banning abortion funding when giving medical aid to foreign countries.  This is huge!
       The abortion industry and its support, in my opinion, are the most ghastly and horrific entities of our time. Killing off those U.S. citizens in their most delicate, vulnerable, and dependent state where you and I were at our most fragile point in our own lives, is the taproot of evil in our society. What can possibly compare?  All else is minor, though still worthy of protest.  Even our beloved Creator became only a few cells at one point, so great does He value the sacredness of human life.  Many abortions are performed long past this point though, sadly.
       Why though, do Catholics who live by the "consistent ethic of human life," in our Church's social teachings, not show up at both kinds of protest -- wherever human life and lives are gravely affected and even put at risk?  And conversely, why do these people on the liberal side, not show up at the abortion protests for saving human lives?  Coretta Scott King, and her beloved Martin, would be encouraging all of us to come together on all of these life issues.

       Since I do not own a cell phone and cannot show the brilliance behind many many signs there, I will simply change up the font for each one-liner.  These are only to make you think, and hopefully, to make you act on behalf of "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," as on our Statue of Liberty.
       I did not think that the few Trump-bashing signs were productive and I am not fully convinced that he was aware of the cages for teens and small children.  Sometimes the departments do their own thing, as with the handling of the Branch Davidian fiasco many years ago.  The fact that he immediately changed that aspect (from here on out of separating the parents and children -- he says) -- partly perhaps from the voices of so many speaking out on their behalf, tells me that it might not have been his idea. 
       Many of the conversations during this holy day were peppered with comments that I whole-heartedly agreed with about the solid work ethic of nearly all of the Hispanic population here -- how they do not ask for anything in return, do not take welfare, contribute greatly to society with strong family values.  I would be proud to have any of them be my parents!
       My favorite chant begun by one Hispanic presenter was:

El Pueblo

Unido

Jamas Sera Vencido!

      Translated, this means: "The People, united, will never be defeated!"  It was a tear jerker from someone who is powerless and had terrible things happen to him and his family.  How brave!
      After the protest and a few talks, we marched around the capital block chanting songs like, "No HATE!  No FEAR!  Immigrants are WELCOME here!"

Jesus was a Homeless Refugee

I’m Jewish, I know this story

The Mayflower was Full of Refugees

Concentration Camps Were Legal Too

Those Who do not Learn From History

are Doomed to Repeat it

We are all Immigrants, Children

or Grandchildren of Immigrants

Migration Camps= Internment Camps

Refugees are not Criminal

But Taking Children is Criminal

Strong People Stand up for Themselves

But Stronger People Stand up for Others

Awful and Unlawful

Reunite Children Now

          While President Trump did back down on any further separation of parents with children in the future, there are over 2,300 children already separated whose parents are in custody and this newer  crackdown is still going very strong, continuing to separate families now and in the future.  I can attest firsthand for the terror and anxiety in impossible life choices right now of the ESL hard-working immigrant families holding many jobs to support large mostly Catholic families.  I cannot begin to imagine what they are facing with trying to support their children with so many strikes against them.

            What is going on with beginning a community for the poor and forgotten in Columbus?  I believe I announced this but if not, I am parting with the Catholic Worker Movement but not with Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin and how they modeled and lived out the Early Church.  I only add charisms of the Holy Spirit to the level of the Early Church as well.  Dorothy loved the charismatic renewal and encouraged people of all ages to become involved in them.

           While I am still discerning and waiting, I have "gone into the desert"  for this summer between teaching jobs to do the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius as best I can without a constant spiritual director.  Fr. Denis Kigozi is giving ideas -- such as not to miss a day until it is done -- but he is in the process of moving to a parish three times as large at Church of the Resurrection. 

          One new thing I added with prayer from last year is that instead of "talking to Jesus" for 15 minutes straight every day, I changed it up to rotate around.  One day I do this as talking to the Father, the next to Jesus, and the third to the Holy Spirit.  It has been beautiful!!!

          I am still very open and wanting, very ready and waiting, for whatever comes my way in living the life of the Beatitudes and the Book of Acts. Whatever I do as one with the poor, I have and will continue to do all in the Spirit of Christ, and in the spirit of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.  God saved my life through their intercessory prayers 3 years ago in my live liver donation to my nephew and the subsequent reparative surgery 4 days later.  It has a high mortality rate for the donor, 1-200 to 1-300 (because the patient loses a large of the largest lobe of the liver, damaging it badly), and as far as those who have researched can tell, I am the only living case in the world who required a second emergency surgery 3-5 days out -- meaning something wrong happened in the first surgery -- that survived.  Thank you Dorothy and Peter!!
         I am still waiting for community members for what God would have me do, and all that this life would entail (funds, prayers), God willing. Of course, I am also still praying hard for the canonization of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.
        Two recent large churches here in the U.S. (perhaps more) have already chosen to honor Dorothy -- St. Paul's Catholic Church in Westerville, Ohio with a large painting above a main door, like a fresco, right on the wall; and a life-size statue of Dorothy in the vestibule of the Blessed Solanus Casey Shrine on Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan.  Please, dear Papa, Pope Francis, go ahead and move her to venerable.  I believe you have your miracle!

          There is though, a new community or charity on the horizon that seeks to live as one with the poor -- Urban Encounter -- coming down the pike as an offshoot of Encounter Ministries.  The charismatic aspect sets it apart like a city on a hill, with the spiritual works of mercy, with the charisms of the Holy Spirit lived out, being right up there to the level of the corporal works of mercy, living the "profound poverty and profound joy" of the Early Church..  Pray for them! 
        A final sidenote is that the abortion mill that performed the first abortion in Ohio, and continued for over 30 years straight, as of June 25, 2018, has closed!  I went one month before it closed!!!!  I have prayed there for years, trying to go once a month with others, and we heavily, heavily prayed for the conversion of the abortionist.  If he's not there, nobody is there.
 Yes, there are miracles!  Now we need to stop the crackdown of immigrant and refugee people here who have worked hard for their families and for our society and could not have come in legally like our forefathers who just happened to be the "right" nationality and race.  Come, Holy Spirit, come!!

Orlando: Nonviolent Readings Amidst Violence and Media Coverage

By Monica  The Lamb Catholic Worker, Columbus, Ohio

     Today, there was an article buried in the ninth page of the Washington Post at the bottom of the page that most people would not necessarily read.  At first I did not want to read about the mentality of sometimes sociopathic people entitled, "Displaced Hatred of Self Can Push People to Massacres, Psychologists Say."  Yet I did read it and was shocked by several details or actual evidential dialogue of this gunman that have somehow been left out of the nearly continuous repetitive coverage of this horrific evening.

     Patience Carter, a survivor of Sunday's early hour shootings, held hostage by Mateen in the club bathroom, "heard him talking to 911 saying the reason why he's doing this is because he wants Americans to stop bombing his country."  Most Americans have never and probably will never see this statement.  CNN did report this briefly as well, but nobody has seemed to inquire, "What bombings?  Isn't the war over?"

     Nothing can justify this grisly massive crime in Orlando - the end never justifies the means when it comes to murdering, or killing, any person for any and every reason.  Dorothy Day put it this way:  "No person has the right to choose the life or death of another person."  Sacred Scriptures emphasize that God alone is the sole Author of all life and death.  Moreover, we Catholics and those of most Christian churches believe that all human life is genuinely sacred, even from the first second we are conceived.

     This man seemed to demonize a collective group of people, for whatever reason he had conjured in his self-righteous mind, crossing the line to kill many.  In the midst of this, another piece of evidence was left out from the many broadcasts and coverage.  Carter also said he asked, "'Is there any African Americans in the club bathroom?' When one man answered yes, the gunman responded back to him saying, 'You know, I don't have a problem with black people.  This is about my country.  You guys have suffered enough.'" These pieces of courtroom evidence (what was done, said, what weapons were used, etc.) are valuable in truly understanding the complicated mind of this man who chose to kill and hurt over 100 people.

       Even though this may cast a hint of a compassionate light on this man who seemed to have a trace of empathy toward a burdened group of people (African Americans), in addition to anger, revenge, and frustration over the continuous drone bombings in his and other Middle Eastern countries by the U.S., the massacre itself is no doubt a terribly tragic event against the gay population that deserves unequivocal condemnation. 

        The timing of this horrific event, especially in light of these two comments of the gunman, is why I am writing this article. Literally hours after my second of two peaceful witnesses in two days, one in front of the White House, and one in front of the CIA grounds, against the bloody continuous drone bombings in the Middle East, this unspeakable massacre occurs.

       When I saw what the gunman's first words were of his call to 911, what came to my mind immediately for some reason was, "Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword." Even though this gunman acted alone, and their maybe no connection whatsoever to his country, etc, I can't help but think of larger scale action against many more people potentially.  Who will be the first to say "NO!" to killing people?

Represent prisoners at our Guatanamo Bay Detention Center
where torture is used.

    Malala Yousafzai, the Muslim girl-turned-peace advocate who had been shot in the head by the Taliban promoting education for girls has begged President Obama to stop the drone bombings that more often than not turn Middle Easterners toward terrorists to get it to stop.  She is obviously not doing this to protect a terrorist group such as ISIS or the Taliban because if anyone would be against them, it would be her, having been seriously injured by them. Many innocent people have been killed along with the questionable targets of our drone program.  It is an undeclared covert war without officially declaring war.  And many people, including the news media, do not know that it continues. These people have nowhere to turn.

     It is only a matter of time before drones will somehow be a threat to all of us in the future, such as with drug cartel leaders, gangs, or any targeted person or people that are in the demonized category and deemed worthy of death. This is not solely if they get into the "wrong" hands, but since it appears perfectly fine to incinerate people with these deadly guided missiles inside the drone aircraft, there truly is no telling what and how they will be utilized in the near or distant future here.

Washington Post Wed. June 15, 2016

       These are not tiny drones floating around stadiums to cover professional ball games, but fairly large jets and rockets equipped with multiple large guided missiles to blow up targeted people, groups of people, buildings, and whole areas, just as in war.   If they do indeed get into the wrong hands, whose to "morally" stop them from their choice of use, since we do the exact same thing arbitrarily?  Should a Catholic ever be part of these deadly "video games" creating genuine bloody carnage, devastation, and desperation?

       The following link or Youtube site is of Hispan TV coverage of drone bombing protests around the world by the U.S., including a June protest at the CIA headquarters, which Monica and her father, Tom Siemer, attended.

 Here is the link/site (if the link will not open):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqXLR0GZrac

We prayed at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in D.C.

            The other notable timing is of the "harder" teachings of Christ on nonviolence and love of enemy that have shown up in the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) of all Roman Catholic Priests and others, as well as in our daily mass readings.  These began literally the day after the shootings as everyone ponders the impact, meaning, and Christian response of this killing spree.

         Monday, June 13 in the Divine Office (in the Christian Prayers, p. 869): Isaiah 2; 2-5 [Note - the build up to the quote lends to its power and truth]:

"In the days to come,
the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.

All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
'Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.'

For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!"

Monday, June 13, in the Gospel Reading
Matthew 5:38-40:
"Jesus said to his disciples, 'You have
heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth.'  But I say to you,
offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right
cheek, turn the other to him as well ..."

Tuesday, June 14, in the Gospel Reading
Matthew 5:43-48:
"Jesus said to his disciples: 'You have heard
that is was said, 'You shall love your neighbor
and hate your enemy,'  but I say to you,
love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, that you may be children
of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun
rise on the bad and good alike and causes
rain to fall on the just and unjust ...
... So be perfect, just as your heavenly
Father is perfect."

Tom Siemer (Monica's Father) and Rita Clark D'Escoto

       If this does not inspire, please go on You Tube and listen to "Good, Good Father" by Chris Tomlin.  It describes the love the Father has for us all, for every single unique person the world over, each made in His image and likeness whose soul is  a brilliant rare diamond that no sin can diminish.
     Jesus said that if the Father lavishes rain and sun on the good and bad alike, so great is His love for all then who are we not to love all, even our enemies?

Good Good Father

  by Chris Tomlin

Oh, I've
heard

a thousand stories

of what
they
think you're like
But I've
heard
the tender whisper

of love
in

the dead of night
And you tell me

that you're pleased
And that I'm

never alone

You're a good, good Father
It's who you are,

It's who you are, 

It's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, 

It's who I am, 

It's who I am

Oh, and I've
seen

many
searching for

answers

far
and wide
But I
know

we're
all searching
for answers 

only you
can provide
Cause you know

just what we need
before we
say a word

You're a good, good Father
It's who you are,

It's who you are, 

It's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, 

It's who I am, 

It's who I am

'Cause you are perfect

in all of your ways
You are perfect

in all of your ways
You are perfect

in all of your ways

to us

You are perfect

in all of your ways
You are perfect

in all of your ways
You are perfect

in all of your ways

to us

Oh, it's love

so

undeniable
I, 

I can

Hardly speak
Peace

So

Unexplainable
I,

I can

hardly think

As you call
me

deeper still,
 As you call
me

deeper still,
As you call
me

deeper still

into love,

love, 

love

[x3:]

You're a good, good Father
It's who you are,

It's who you are, 

It's who you are
And I'm loved by You
It's who I am, 

It's who I am, 

It's who I am

You're a good, good Father
(You are perfect in all of your ways)

It's who you are,

it's who you are,

it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
(You are perfect in all of your ways)
It's who I am,

It's who I am,

It's who I am

       Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, in his book,
Toward the Future describes the "Omega Point
of Man," or culmination of a collective "spiritual
evolution" of mankind that has been building and
growing throughout all of time, heightening higher
and higher, bettering all of us in the area of
conscience, morality, and spiritual
clarity and action.  It climaxes at the Omega Point,
where we will be more like the Father,
more perfect.

     He does believe though that this Omega Point of Man in the continuum will coincide with the Parousia Point of salvation history. This is not to cause one to panic or become afraid, but to know that this level of love and conscious living like Christ will indeed come and it will be beautiful.  If you have never seen the movie, "Ghandi" you should consider it.  We just did here and he makes a strong point placed at the very end of the movie, that resonated what Christ would say as well.  He points out the lesson that throughout history, no matter how cruel, ruthless, and powerful a tyrant or country, they always eventually fade away, and good always, always triumphs, even in this life.  Beyond this life though, which lasts but a blink, the very ending of all, as foretold in Revelations, is also jubilously happy!

"God Does Not Take Sides," Mother Teresa Replied When Asked to Pray For Our Troops, "I Will Pray for Peace [Alone]"

The Sainthood Pathway Begun for Dorothy Day

 THE LAMB CATHOLIC WORKER, Columbus - Dorothy Day's case for beatification, led by Cardinal Dolan of New York and recently approved by the U.S. Catholic bishops, is a breath of fresh air for Catholics young and old.  It restores faith in the Catholic Church to the weary, to the disillusioned, and to those Catholics who take seriously all teachings of the Church, even the less popular peace and social justice ones. 

     

           Why is the Catholic Church desiring to recognize and give honor to this woman?  She strived to live out the Gospels as authentically and truthfully as they were lived in the Early Church, closest in timeline to Truth itself, to Jesus Christ.  She chose to live directly with the poor twenty-four hours a day, not separating herself from them at night in a mother house or community house for reprieve.  Moreover, she embraced and unflinchingly lived out her belief in the sacredness of all, ALL, human life and human lives the world over, made in God's image and likeness, by encouraging a strong anti-abortion stance and by embracing the nonviolent cross of Jesus in her pacifism.  This unwavering and unpopular  love for every person the world over spanned three major U.S.-involved wars, beginning with World War II.

         Desmond Doss was another pacist during World War II who gave witness in conscientious objection to using a "gun" (bombs, etc) to kill people. He showed that there are varying levels of pacifist choices. He wanted to help the effort - yet only as a medic - and ended up saving the lives of 75 men one day by carrying their fallen bodies up a 400 ft. escarpment under a hail of constant gunfire and lowering them by rope to safety. He was shot and received the medal of honor (read the details in his citation online).  

        Also, Fr. George Zabelka, the chaplain assigned to those dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki became an outspoken pacifist and peacemaker against weapons of mass destruction dropped on innocent civilians.  My father, a former weapons contractor with North American Rockwell, is yet another older Catholic pacifist who became good friends with Fr. Zabelka, marching across Ohio for peace and disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.  My dear mother, Dorothy Siemer, famous for her work among the poor, was equally an ardent pacifist as well.
         A more recent, quiet but powerful witness to the sacredness of all human life in his refusal to bear arms in war against people was Joshua Casteel, of whom I write with teary eyes of his touching witness and recent death at a young age.  He was a Catholic U.S. Marine interrogator who turned pacifist during this most recent war in Iraq.  He was challenged to take seriously the new command of Christ to love your enemies and do [only] good to those who hate you.  He became a conscientious objector while still in uniform.  He died this summer of an extremely rare lung cancer begun by burning the U.S. trash pits in Iraq, and constantly worried until his death about the Iraqi families having inhaled all of this toxic smoke as well. This pollution of the U.S., combined with the destruction of many buildings and infrastructure in Iraq, are reminders of the differences between the works of mercy and the works of war, of which Dorothy Day so eloquently wrote (Works of War: destroy crops and land, seize food supplies, destroy homes, scatter families, inflict wounds and burns, kill the living, etc,).  
       
         How did she keep such a stance of pure pacifism when much of society and the world were caught up in very differing ways than this?  Where does this pacifism come from?  Believe it or not, it comes from Jesus, His Apostles (in this apostolic Church), and all Christ-followers for the first three hundred years - longer than the U.S. has even been a country. Besides numerous writings from the mouth of Jesus and many prophecies in the Old Testament foreshadowing what was to come, some are from Tertullian, Maxmillian, Origen, and St. Justin the Martyr, to name a few.
        But what about the centurion who we so often quote during mass and who Jesus revered in his depth of faith: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed"?  Centurions were equivalent to a police force keeping law and order among civilians locally.  They were on the street corners, so to speak, to stop someone from getting robbed or raped, or to arrest someone and remove them from society temporarily or permanently.  These were not the soldiers trained and ready, at the stroke of a quill or order of a king, to decimate an entire city of people.  Also, Jesus did not stamp his approval on his profession, only his faith.
        It is not normal for a person to want to kill another person. Soldiers and terrorists are born sweet and innocent babies predisposed to love.  No, this is accepted and learned behavior in prospective cultures.  My father, the pacifist peace activist, used to say how his Navy training temporarily turned him into "an attack dog," ready to kill instantly, whoever they would order you to kill, on command, without questioning or even thinking.  Joshua Casteel had recently addressed the training aspect of taking a young teenager who is not born or even inclined to kill people, and making him or her capable of doing so, as in his Marine training.   He had to shout back and forth with is superior officer the following:
      "What are we supposed to DO?!"
      "KILL! KILL! KILL!"
      "What makes the grass GROW GREEN?!"
      "BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD!"
        Soldiering is painted in photographs as very different from the grisliness it actually entails in time of war.  It is sort of like the amnesia of pro-abortion people who package it as simply a "choice," or deep respect for a woman's body and her personal right to choose things over her own body.  What it actually does, though, is slaughter a separate human life that happens to be within her body.  A woman may have a justification in her mind like, "I am at my wits end, with four other children to care for and my husband only coming around long enough to steal my welfare checks.  I must do this to give what little food and diapers I can to the others, to protect and support the others."  We have our reasons to justify killing people as well.
        In war, as it is defined by Fr. Richard McSorley, S.J., who taught peace studies at Georgetown University for 25+ years, it is this destruction of human life, only on a grander scale:  "War is inter-group lethal conflict involving the massive loss of human life, and ALWAYS taking on a momentum and life of its own leading to unplanned savagery [beyond what is planned]." This is not a reflection upon those young teenagers themselves, who typically are very sacrificial and noble (and still very impressionable), wanting to serve their country to the level of putting themselves in harm's way.  No, the grisly and barbaric realities are from warring itself - submersing oneself in a situation of killing, maiming, poisoning, and harming human bodies.
        Mark Twain describes well what we are actually praying for when we pray for our soldiers (and therefore soldiering acts) in "The War Prayer," as it has become called:

 "O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle – be Thou near them! With them, in spirit, we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it – for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."

        What does Jesus teach on this and even command?  What did He model if He is truly to be the Way, the Truth and the Life?  Are we to take His words, His lessons, and His example above all else, including ourselves and our own deeply entrenched opinions?  Should we be crystal clear that our petitionary prayers during the holiest of holy sacrifice of the actual Body and Blood of the perfect, unblemished Lamb be fully, on the holy altar near the sacred sanctuary be 100% clearly aligned with Jesus' own commandments and modeling?  From the teachings of Jesus' own mouth come His words: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (meaning everyone outside of oneself's own body);  "Do [only] good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you;""Do not worry about that which kills the body, but does not kill the soul;" "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword;" and "Love your enemies... This will prove [or be proof of being His, of your mark set apart in the world from others] that you are children of your heavenly Father who makes His sun and rain fall on the good and bad alike [that is how great His love is for them - are we above Him not to?].
       One cannot reduce the command to love our enemies only to those people in your life who cause you problems, like neighbors, coworkers, or extended family members.  When I was growing up, one of the Gospels had the actual wording: "Before it was said that you must love your countrymen and hate your enemies.  But I say to love your enemies ..." putting it at the country and country's enemy level.  To pacifists, killing human beings, or sacred human life, is as far from love as you can possibly get.  It wipes out any options of reconciliation or repentence with God for that person you just killed.  In fact, it is as far from God as one can get, usurping His role as the Sole One who alone is Author of life and death, as is said in scriptures.  We play God when we take the life of another person who is someone's brother, nephew, dad, uncle, or cousin.  They are as much made in God's own image and likeness as we are.  Is there such a thing as human life not being sacred?  Do we believe unequivocally that every human life in all life stages is sacred or do we not?  Who are we to play God?
        Pacifists have the mentality of Brother Christian (from the movie, Of Gods and Men), one of the martyred (1990's) French-speaking Trappist monks in Algeria who left a note to his Muslim terrorist would-be executioner that read something like: "Oh happy thief, today you will be with  me in paradise because I will pray for you to get to heaven and be with our Lord," mirroring Christ's own words during the crucifixion aimed squarely at these brutal, hate-filled, killing  people: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
       If Christ was pacifist, why then, when the soldier asked Jesus, "What must I do?" He did not reiterate to "Love your enemy and only do good to him.  You cannot love and kill the same person at the same time.  That is impossible."  Instead he simply said to "Be content with your pay."  Twice in Scriptures Jesus is confronted with a question that could have had him immediately beheaded by the Romans if He went directly against them - this question (which He side-stepped with the pay answer instead of saying to leave soldiering) and the question of paying taxes to Caesar or not.  He was destined not to die by the sword though, but to have his hands and feet pierced in a crucifixion as Scriptures foretold.
       The Amish, the Mennonite, and the Quakers "absolutely refuse to bear arms against another human being," meaning, to kill them in war.  Mahatma Ghandi, an Oxford educated lawyer and in the Brahaman class of the Hindu of India, stumbled upon the New Testament at Oxford and asked a Catholic if they believed the parts of Matthew's Gospel on loving your enemy, turning the other cheek, etc.  The reply was, "Well, we don't take that seriously." His response was, "Well, I do!" He eventually led the movement that overthrew the British with total nonviolence, who had far more tight and sophisticated a control over India than England ever had over the U.S. colonies.
        What about, "No greater love has a man than to lay down his life for his friends" popularly used at military funerals?  The sacrifice of soldiers is great indeed, but there is a world of difference in accidentally dying (in a very dangerous situation) while killing others and, like the early Church martyrs of the first three centuries, to lovingly (and physically) lay down one's life for God or for love of enemy.  Can you picture anyone in the early Church who is being martyred jumping up, overpowering the small band there to arrest (and eventually kill) them, and killing those people to escape?  Or killing any of their persecutors?  This would never have crossed one's mind.  Ghandi put it eloquently when he said, "There is a cause for which I would give my life, but no cause for which I am prepared to kill." Ghandi was once asked, "Why in the world do you not become a Christian?  You read the words of Christ daily, you quote from Christ more than any other, and you live it perfectly - in a humble community, pooling all your resources, caring for the sick and poor in joyful poverty." He replied, "I would become one if I met one."
        I once asked our beloved Bishop Campbell about the appropriate amount to pray for militarism (militaristic people, and therefore militaristic actions involving killing people), during the holy sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace, and on the holy altar.  This was especially so in lieu of our involvement in the recent Iraqi war that was "not legally or morally justified," according to Pope John Paul II, and that killed over 40 times 9-11 - over 200,000 people, mostly innocent civilians.  He replied that it should be balanced out with the other.  Using songs like "Let There be Peace on Earth (and let it begin with me)" and "Make me a Channel of Your Peace" do not balance this out at all.  They can even be misconstrued as backing this illegal and immoral war, instead of having nothing to do with it. The Church has no say whatsoever in the targets, small and large goals for an area, strategies, maneuvers, and decisions of the military in war time or other. Why have we been led to follow and support them blindly, as thought they were the Church, and as though they were not going against our true moral leader in this prolonged recent war?  How can we pray them onward against our Pope?
       Hitler had ordered to be put on his soldiers belt buckles, "In God We Trust." To Hitler though, human lives were expendable and not sacred. Thinking of terrorists, you can picture many of them having a very fervent, prayerful time before they perform actions that they deem are for Allah ("Allah" is their word for god) and against immoral and unholy people and governments, as they see them. They could be bowed at head, arm in arm, humble and obedient to "god."  The litmus test in any such group including Americans, would be that which can call them children of the living God - do they cherish all human life, without exception, never killing human beings and even loving their enemies?  Or, are people and peoples' lives expendable to them no matter how holy and prayerful they may look, huddled together in pictures? The terrorists are huddled together in prayer too.  Should our actions as Christ-followers be different than theirs?
      So, as many - not all - Catholic parishes pray for the military several times a year, for Veteran's and Memorial Day, etc., we must make sure to have the same (or more) number of other days to have in our petitions and bulletins prayers and pictures to FULLY balance this out of and for pacifists and pacifism.  One thing that Jesus was and is very passionate about is keeping the "Temple" - His Father's house where the consecration of His actual Body and Blood take place - holy.  We must make absolute certain that what we pray over and for align with Him, with His way, His example, and His new commands.  Adding pacifists to our prayers, then, is the only way to keep it balanced, as our bishop has asked, and not be confusing or hollow-sounding in our peace songs.
       These could go something like this:  "For those who are pacifist witnesses to Christ's and the Apostles' modeling, may they be strengthened by our support," or, "May God bless and protect those called to be pacifists and may their peacemaking mark them as children of God, sending forth Christ's true peace into and throughout the world."  Another could be, "May God strengthen in perseverance those promoting the Church's teachings on the sacredness of all human life without exception in their pacifism, against the culture of death so heavy in our world."  As we proceed, if some desire to offer prayers for the military during another illegal and immoral war condemned by our spiritual leader from the Chair of St. Peter again, should our prayers then be to steer our youth away from this sinful situation like we would against abortion?  Should there be no confusion or misleading for our youth or for parents of these youth? 
       Do these make one feel uncomfortable?  Even offended?  The real question is, would they offend Christ? Would they offend Jesus or are they aligned with the teachings of Jesus?  Do they go against Christ's Way and example, that of the perfect, unblemished Lamb, or are we clinging to such ingrained human violent tradition that we refuse to open our hearts to these most controversial teachings of Jesus?  Fr. Barron opened his Catholicism series with just how radical Jesus and His teachings are!  His words were many times not pleasant to hear at all, very agitative, sharper than any two-edged sword separating bone from marrow.  Perhaps the best approach to prayer during the holy sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Prince of Peace is that of Mother Teresa - for peace itself, for Christ - not adding either "extreme."  Minimally, we should consider opening the door far and wide to those prophetic voices God has sent us on pacifism and truly loving your enemies, alongside our militaristic-minded brothers and sisters.  Pacifism and pacifists need to be fully welcome and included in petitions, bulletins, and homilies.
        I recently stopped to give money to a very elderly veteran collecting at a table at Lowe's, and I told him that I always give money to veterans because they are so brave and giving, but I am a pacifist and don't believe in ever killing people.  He replied: "So are most of us."  I then said, "You have to get the word out!  Young people don't know this. They only hear and see support of the opposite. Please try to get the word out."  He just smiled, probably relieved that someone in the generation after his (me) will get the word out.
       With the beatification process started for Dorothy Day, it must do Jesus' heart a great deal of good!  His harder teachings have gone unheard, except for these shining examples like her, Joshua Casteel, Desmond Doss, Mahatma Ghandi, St. Francis of Assisi, and a multitude of fellow Catholic Workers across the country throughout the past 75+ years.  Lord, strengthen us to follow Your way of the cross, being genuine channels of solely Your peace and Your love to the world!
        Pray also for stopping the building and stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear weapons industry), and the very real potential of using them, as mind-boggling as this may seem.  Moreover, joining a nuclear-armed military is taking responsibility for all that we are capable and poised to do. Rev. Richard McSorley of Georgetown reiterated until his last breath his most famous saying:  "It's a Sin to Build a Nuclear Weapon." He also coined: "When you choose the lesser of two evils, you soon forget you chose evil in the first place" (i.e. Hiroshima and Nagasaki).  Thus, one can imagine the sin of being a part of ever using one (again). Moreover,  the hideous drone program further removes human minds, hearts, consciences, and eyes from full awareness of the bloodshed these actually cause, reducing the act to the feel of a video game.  This system is equivalent to having fully automated abortions where a woman would come into a machine, and it would do all the destruction of human life.  Our drone program makes it even more simple to feel okay killing human life because one would be so removed from seeing the actual bloodiness of it.
     Pray to the Prince of Peace Himself, for His infusion into the hearts of people, especially Catholics.  Are we ready to stand before Jesus?  What if our time to go was tomorrow?  Will we older Catholics have an excuse if we have ignored His most difficult teachings and led others to do the same? Pray also for Mary's intercession on behalf of the world, to her beloved Son.  Pray especially for the 6,000-7,000 returned veterans who kill themselves each year (although the Marines and Air Force have refused to release numbers any more, so it may be much higher).  Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, pray for them and for us! The following are words from Dorothy Day's Advent, 1945 article, "Making Room for Christ:"
     "...now it is with the voice of contemporaries that He speaks, with the eyes of store clerks, factory-workers, and children that He gazes; with the hands of office workers, slum dwellers and suburban housewives that he gives.  It is the feet of soldiers and tramps that He walks, and with the heart of anyone in need that He longs for shelter."
*Note:  See the movie, End of the Spear, a 2005 docudrama (true story) set in South America with indigenous tribes - very moving case for pacifism and the nonviolent cross. Especially watch after the credits have begun at the end for a brief interview.