Here's to the Lifers

Last week marked one of the most important "anniversaries" in America: on January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade declared unconstitutional, on "privacy" grounds, most state laws restricting the practice of abortion (here's my post from last year marking that anniversary). Every day of every year since, while the lives of millions of unborn children were being snuffed out unnecessarily, other millions of people have selflessly given of their time, energy, and money to resist this tide of death, most of them quietly and anonymously. I call them "lifers," and they all deserve a thankful salute.

Several hundred thousand of them (not so quietly!) from around the country and the world descended on the nation's capital last Monday for the March of Life 2012, to commemorate and mourn the continuing genocide of the unborn, but also to joyfully declare their devotion to life, Divine Love, and the cause of their tiny, helpless brothers and sisters. If you weren't there, you have to view photographs of the march and its participants--see some excellent galleries here and especially here--to get a sense of the high spirit and optimism of this gathering. What's especially exciting is that, from all appearances, the vast majority of those marching were YOUNG people in their 20s and even teens! This gives so much hope for a future in which NO child is thrown away, in which everyone recognizes that no matter how troublesome its life might be to its natural parents, there is a family who wants and will love and care for that child, and that the parents will get all the support they need to make that possible. That tide of hope won't be stopped by the mainstream media ignoring the movement, nor by all the hate, obscenities, and intimidation that can be hurled by "pro-choice" advocates.

Quieter and less visible, but perhaps even more heroic, are the countless thousands of people who work daily on the "front lines" of the pro-life movement in crisis pregnancy centers (sometimes called "pregnancy resource centers") around the country, counseling young parents about the realities of abortion, pregnancy, and childbirth, as well as providing pregnancy testing, sonograms, adoption information, and other supportive services. Working face-to-face with people in crisis or with chronic personal, social, and economic problems, every day, can be incredibly difficult, draining, and sometimes discouraging. But CPC workers' positive experiences with parents who have made heroic choices and turned their lives around, thanks to God and the workers' help, keeps them at this selfless task. My own beloved sister is one of them, working at the Jacksonville, Florida Women's Help Center. Please consider donating some of your own time and/or money to this noble cause.

Then there are those who organize and work for hundreds of pro-life and related advocacy organizations in this country and around the world (here is a comprehensive list of many of them), that heighten public awareness of the issues and help drive political change to promote life. You might not be aware that the fight for life is going on not just in the United States, but in many countries overseas. One organization that's caught my eye recently is Youth Defence (on the Web and Facebook), which is devoted to educating people, helping mothers, lobbying, and campaigning to keep Ireland abortion-free. The movement to protect the unborn would probably not have nearly the numbers and influence it enjoys today without the efforts of organizations like these.

How about the thousands of clergy from a host of churches and denominations that give so much of their time, energy, and guidance to parental counseling and pro-life efforts? And let's not forget the many ordinary, anonymous people who brave the elements, and even risk arrest and prosecution, to keep peaceful vigil near abortion clinics to pray for expectant mothers and encourage them to give their babies a chance.

Finally, I'd like to share with you one of the most beautiful and inspirational videos I've ever seen, called the Miracle of Life. It presents, in less than four minutes, the complete scientific case as well as the Biblical foundation for the origin of human life at conception. I guess producers of videos like this are likewise "lifers" who deserve our hearty thanks and support!

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;
and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee . . .
~ Jeremiah 1:5

Getting Off the Republican Merry-Go-Round

This past Tuesday was caucus night in Iowa, and the contest ended in a near-three-way tie between Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum; Romney "won" by eight votes over Santorum, who didn't lead Paul by that much. As long as the race stays this tight, I can't be accused--if I come out for one of these or the other candidates--of merely jumping on a bandwagon or of backing a loser. So, for better or worse, and for whatever (little) it's worth, this might be a good time to declare my own preference--which is almost certain to fatally jinx whomever I endorse.

None of the contenders for the Republican Party nomination is an obvious or ideal choice. They all have some virtues and some shortcomings. At another time in history, it might be quite appropriate for people to support whichever candidate they thought was the most Simon-Pure conservative or libertarian, business leader or defense hawk, pro-lifer or policy wonk. I don't think we can afford to pick nits or indulge our fondest dreams now, with an overriding need to remove from power a Presidential administration and supporters bent on "transforming" America in ways most Americans don't want, and which is dragging this country into ruin. What we need above all is a candidate appealing to a broad cross-section of the electorate, who can win the confidence of Americans from diverse social, economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds--not a candidate who panders to everyone, but one whose leadership most people can accept and trust on a basic level.

For me, Newt Gingrich is not that candidate. He may appeal to some conservative intellectuals, Republican Party activists, and a few pundits, but not to the average working man or woman on the street. He carries far too much baggage both morally (he's been widely characterized as a "serial adulterer") and politically (his record suggests that he is not reliably more "conservative" than Romney). He strikes many as narrow and self-absorbed, if not downright vain, and is gaffe-prone. He is intrigued with gimmicks and schemes, and has a habit of impulsively suggesting things, such as hauling federal judges before Congress to "explain" controversial rulings, that are ludicrous and irresponsible. He may talk the conservative talk as well or better than anyone (witness his vaunted debating skills) but stumbles sooner or later whenever he tries to walk the walk. Obama's hit team might not need to destroy him; his own mouth and questionable judgment would save them the trouble.

Nor is Ron Paul the candidate we need. He may have been a consistent fighter in Congress for fiscal and military restraint, but his positions on many specific issues have been too narrowly "libertarian" and outside the mainstream of American voters for him to appeal to them very broadly. His foreign policy is too rigidly isolationist, and his ambivalence--if not antipathy--toward Israel would only serve to endanger the survival of peace and the only democracy in the Middle East. He seems to be more of a cult figure than a serious Presidential contender; his most ardent supporters are often belligerent and obnoxious, if not downright unhinged.

Rick Perry is a reasonably sound, if not pure, conservative, who has successfully presided for a decade over a state as large and diverse, geographically, ethnically, and economically, as many countries on earth. But he lacks discipline and national experience, and may still be too rough-edged for that forum. His performance in the recent Republican debates reflect a man who may not be 100 percent mentally engaged in the campaign, or entirely up to its extraordinary demands.

Jon Huntsman remains a virtual non-entity in this campaign, ignored by the media. Although he has an excellent resume, with substantial executive (Utah governor) and foreign policy (Ambassador to China) experience, he's very white-bread and can't seem to find an angle to catch the public's attention or imagination. He would make a good vice-presidential choice, unless the Presidential nominee were Mitt
Romney (two Mormons on one ticket would be more than many people--not including me--could tolerate).

Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum are the most appealing to me personally for their social conservatism, Christian faith, and commitment to the preservation of innocent unborn life, but Bachmann is now out of the race. Santorum is soundly conservative on most other major issues, but, like Bachmann, lacks executive experience, and might not find strong support outside rural-suburban and conservative Catholic areas and the "Bible Belt." He may also be tainted by ethical questions and a free-spending record in the Senate. His purported brand of softer, more Main Street (as opposed to Wall Street) conservatism could resonate with broad sections of the electorate, but I think he would fold in a crumpled heap under an onslaught of Democrat attack ads.

Finally, there's Mitt Romney. He certainly isn't an ideologically orthodox conservative, but in the current social climate that would be helpful in the general election. I believe that his bedrock principles are sound, and that a more conservative Congress (with the Republicans winning the Senate in 2012) would effectively keep him "in line." Romney has an outstanding record as a successful businessman, enterprise leader, and state governor. He understands how the free market works. or is supposed to, and is committed to its essential preservation. I don't think he would sell out America, or Israel. He's a solid family man who seems to genuinely care about people. His moral integrity is unassailed; there's been no whiff of scandal about him, and I don't see any deep flaws in his judgment on matters of greatest concern to the country. I think he's trustworthy. If not a "uniter," I think he could at least be a reconciler as President, and would not be divisive. In contrast to Commandante Obama, I believe he would respect the Constitution and the will of the people.

My favorable view of Mitt Romney is not unqualified. His past, more liberal positions on abortion and "gay rights" are especially troublesome, but we can only take him on his word that those positions have evolved in a conservative direction after more careful study and prayer. To counter persistent charges of flip-flopping, Romney needs to hammer home the truth that while mandated health insurance may be legal in the states and supported by their citizens--as was the case in Massachusetts--it is beyond the federal government's powers under the U.S. Constitution, and is not favored by most American citizens (at least in its current form). He also needs to clarify his stance on climate change and "cap-and-trade," in which he expressed a continued belief several months ago, in light of recent evidence that that whole edifice is built on profoundly questionable science.

It's hard to picture any current candidate other than Romney gaining the support of a sufficiently large and broad segment of the electorate, and surviving the certain storm of Democrat defamation with his reputation intact, to win the general election. So, conservatives have to decide which is the greater risk: electing a capable if ideologically wavering--read "moderate" or "centrist"--individual as President, or handing four more years of federal control to an administration that is relentlessly making this country into an empty shadow of what it once was. In my view, this moment is too critical for the future of the American people to waste it on doctrinal quibbles and petty partisan infighting. For now, at least until the crisis has passed, Mitt Romney may be the best we can hope for.

At the end of the day, though, we should all remember and follow what the Bible teaches about political leaders:

It is better to trust in the LORD
than to put confidence in princes.
~ Psalm 118:9

Adios, Mi Querido Hijo

This has turned out to be one of the most bittersweet (more sweet than bitter, really) Christmas holidays I've ever had. As I write, our youngest son Colin and my wife Melany are on the road somewhere in Ohio or Kentucky, headed for Colin's new job as a box office manager at the Performing Arts Center at Lee College in Baytown, Texas, just across Galveston Bay from Houston (according to its official web site, Baytown's motto is "Where oil and water really do mix!"). I stayed behind to mind the fort and our critters (one big dog and one small cat), and so Colin could get into the car everything he has and needs to start out on his own. It's incredibly quiet here, and rather (all right, very) lonesome. I miss Colin and Melany very much already--and they've only been gone a few hours!

Less than a month ago Colin casually responded to an ad for this job, hardly imagining that it would lead almost immediately to an in-person interview and then an offer. Work in his field (arts administration) being so hard to come by in this part of the country, especially for someone just out of college, that Colin felt he couldn't let the opportunity go by. The sudden and dramatic change of life for him and for us is a daunting challenge indeed.

It's always hard for a parent to "let go" so a child can find his or her own way, especially when the way takes the child far from home into unknown territory. Home is familiar and welcoming and safe (or so we try to make it), but who knows what threats lurk elsewhere? Our natural desire and habit is to protect our children and provide for their happiness as best we know how. So, when the time comes that the needs and opportunities--and dangers--of adulthood finally call the child away from the hearth, we are torn with anxiety, even dread. Yet, we must consciously pry our own fingers from our child's arm and let him go along life's road on his own, where his dreams and his best judgment take him. We can only pray for his well-being, and sometimes carefully and gently offer whatever advice we might have from the well of our own learning and experience. We mustn't project our own fears onto him, nor presume to make for him the decisions that rightfully, and prudently, he should make for himself, whatever the consequences. This is the only way for the child to learn responsibility, the sine qua non of adulthood. Now we must only encourage and offer help--but not "bail out"--if and when things go awry, and even if life leads them to endure suffering for a time (which we will inevitably share). It's perhaps the last, perhaps most important lesson we can teach our children: how to be free. That's the only way our children can flower and be all that God intended and enabled them to be. And it might be the most important lesson that we, as parents, can teach ourselves.

Last night, before retiring for perhaps the last time as a permanent resident under our roof, Colin wrote a Facebook "thank you note" to his family and friends here in New York and elsewhere. I chanced to read it a short time later, before retiring myself--and then had trouble falling asleep for the tears in my eyes. Colin wrote that he has "an amazing family that has provided me with opportunity, love, shelter and support at all times, without hesitation, the blink of an eye, or a thought of doing otherwise." I can't express what that means to us as his parents (and the same goes for his brother and sister, I'm sure). All I can say is that Colin is an amazing son and as fine a young man as there's ever been. Of course, we feel much the same way about all our children, but perhaps this moment is more poignant because Colin is the last to fly our "nest" and leave Melany and I entirely "on our own." Since he returned home from college this past May, we've been blessed to get to know him in an especially deep and personal way. We've delighted in the company of a sensitive and thoughtful person always ready to discuss (and sometimes cross swords on) any topic that occurs to us, from religion and politics to movies and food. His sense of humor is matchless! Even our disagreements on things are mutually respectful and loving. Harmony and love within our family is something that Melany and I have prayed for constantly over the years, and God has granted us this fondest wish!

Sometimes it's easier for me to understand and accept things by putting them into a historical context. In this case, I'm reminded of the countless times during the 19th century when young people packed wagons (or sometimes just bags) with all they had, kissed their grieving parents goodbye, and set off on a road or down a river toward a new beginning in the West. All knew that the risks were at least as great as the opportunities. But what if their parents had successfully discouraged all these young pioneers from braving the dangers of the journey? Humanity might never have known the blessings that this great country eventually brought them. So, I'm persuaded that God must have the most marvelous plans for Colin, to lead him that far away into such an alien world as Texas!

May he bless you abundantly each and every day, son, and fill your life with joy (and bring you back home safely for as many visits as we can all manage!)!

Colin and his beloved nephew, Liam

Perfect Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." ~ Isaiah 26:3

Of all things needed and craved by mankind, none is so vital as peace: peace without, and peace within.

Because by nature we are selfish and aggressive creatures, peace among nations and neighbors is tragically elusive and, historically, seemingly impossible but for short periods and in scattered places. All too often rulers use their powers to wage war on other countries and upon their own peoples, and even the best democratic governments are incapable of preventing the mini-wars individuals make upon each other every day. Endless conflict and suffering seem to be the natural lot of human beings almost everywhere.

Peace within ourselves is even more precious than peace in the world, because it transcends the world. One can feel desperate and hopeless even when conditions about us are peaceful. But thanks to the blessed assurance that we have from our Savior, we can be at peace within even when the world around us is rent with conflict. Through repentance, faith, and embrace of His sacrifice on the Cross, His righteousness is ours. We needn't groan and fall under the weight of our sins, no matter how heavy they are; they are laid at Jesus' feet, and in His infinite love are swept away. Because we know that in Him death is swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54), we know that we likewise shall be victorious in the end, and fear not what men can do to us.

The prophet Isaiah warned that "[m]any days and years shall ye be troubled," and that the world would become as a wilderness,

. . . Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places . . . (Isaiah 32:10, 15-18)

This is the promise of Christmas, when Jesus came down from Heaven to dwell among us and proclaim the Good News of salvation, to take the weight of our sin upon Himself, and to establish the never-ending Kingdom of Righteousness that leads all sincere believers to that inner "peace of God, which passeth all understanding . . ." (Philippians 4:7). He is indeed the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). We pray unceasingly that that peace spread among all men and women, and for the day when this world is finally and fully transformed into the quiet and beautiful Garden that our Lord always meant it to be.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” ~ Luke 2:14

May the Peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones
this Christmas and every day of your life!

NOTE: This post was adapted from one on another blog to which I contribute, Faithful Feet. Visit that site for spiritual lessons and encouragement from people all over the world, every day!

Book Review: The Miracle of Freedom

Individual freedom, democracy, and the rule of law are under wider assault in the West, including the USA, than at any time since at least World War II. In Europe, especially the United Kingdom (formerly known as "Great" Britain), an irresistible tide of political correctness has led to the suffocation of personal freedom under national and local laws "protecting" (read: promoting) favored interest groups such as homosexuals and atheists, as well as to a paralysis of police and the courts to deal effectively with mobs of "protesters" and a horde of immigrants demanding the adoption of "sharia law." In the United States, we have a federal administration bent on seizing and expending (directly and indirectly) unprecedented, ever-growing amounts of private wealth; requiring individual citizens to purchase products and services they do not want; extending government surveillance and control to every aspect of citizens' lives; declaring and implementing its own policies through executive order regardless of Congressional will; and going to war against the states to prevent them from dealing with critical problems of immigration, health care, environmental control, education, and threats to the family such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

These developments would be more actively resisted if citizens better appreciated how dearly bought, and how fragile and fleeting, freedom and democracy have been in history. Providing that awareness is the mission of authors Chris and Ted Stewart in their recent book The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points That Saved the World (available from publisher Deseret Books and from Amazon.com, among other outlets). Released in June, 20011, the book has been as high as to No. 2 on Amazon's best-selling list and reached No. 11 on the New York Times' Top 25 best-selling nonfiction and e-book lists.

According to the authors, less than 5 percent of all people who have ever lived on the earth (and most of those being persons who are still alive today) have lived under conditions that today could be considered “free.” The "miracle" is that there have even been that many, given the terrible weight of flawed human nature throughout history.

The authors define "freedom and democracy" according to the following five criteria: self-government; fundamental rights; equal dignity and opportunity of persons; commitment to justice; and commitment to the rule of law. The authors then discern from the human record a series of critical events or "forks in the road" that, had they happened differently or not at all, would or could have resulted in the extinction of any hope that the ideals of freedom and self-government might be realized.

• The defeat of the Assyrians in their quest to destroy the kingdom of Judah
• The victory of the Greeks over the Persians at Thermopylae and Salamis
• Roman Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity
• The defeat of the armies of Islam at Poitiers
• The failure of the Mongols in their effort to conquer Europe
• The discovery of the New World
• The Battle of Britain in World War II

The book describes and analyzes these events, each chapter accompanied by a fictionalized but well-written and engaging "you are there" portrait of individuals at the time--most of them common people--who might have participated in or been immediately affected by these events. In addition to a concise narration of what transpired, each chapter explores what led up to and resulted from the event, and how the future of human liberty would have been changed--or snuffed out altogether--had the outcome been different. Some of these positive outcomes were fantastically improbable, such as the survival of Judah against the Assyrian onslaught, the Greeks' defeat of the Persian hosts at Thermopylae and Salamis, and even Britain's triumph against the mighty Luftwaffe in 1941-1942. As the authors observe, "Many of these critical forks in the road occurred thousands of years before the event would bear the fruit of freedom. Some have happened in modern day. All of them were necessary for the world to enjoy the sudden expansion of free governments that we see today."

Chris and Ted Stewart

The authors' selection of these historical "tipping points" seems driven by the correct premise that the concepts of freedom and democracy--as they came down to us over the generations and as we understand and enjoy them today--sprang from the marriage of Judaic theology and Greek philosophy. Thus, the extinction of those early civilizations or of their successors in Europe would have prevented the survival and realization of these ideals in modern times. Inevitably, minds clouded by conventional and politically-correct views will complain that historical Judaism and Christianity bred regimes that made endless war and often cruelly oppressed, rather than liberated, individuals (free-thinkers, women, and homosexuals, for example) and colonial peoples as well as their own. The authors of Miracle of Freedom do not dispute the guilt of those Western "leaders" who perverted Judeo-Christian principles to serve selfish ends, but stress that the fault lay not with the principles themselves, or with the cultures that spawned them, but with the inescapable flaws of human nature:

[T]hough they may seek to represent the ideal, no nation or institution is ever pefect. All cultures and religious institutions are occupied by mere mortals, making them subject to all the frailties of men. And the simple fact that they do seek the ideal, ironically, opens them up to charges of hypocrisy and scorn. Second, often these are not only multigenerational but multimillenial institutions. Their stories may stretch over thousands of years. During the passing of so many centuries, every nation or institution will have its ups and downs, experiencing high points of moral leadership, but low points of decadence as well.

This being the case, wouldn't it be unfair--and historically inaccurate--to judge a nation or institution on only one episode in its history or during one particular span of time?

In our story, we also have to recognize the difference between the leaders or members of the Christian faith and Christian doctrine. The shortcomings of one may not accurately reflect the value of the other. Indeed, history shows that there have been times when the teachings of Christianity remained an ally to the development of freedom even when the Christian church did not.

Reading The Miracle of Freedom, one is struck by how improbable was the birth, survival, and eventual flourishing of freedom and self-government; how long that process took; how much it owed to the heroism and self-sacrifice of a relative few individuals; and how fragile those ideals are in a world ever tending to corruption and madness. As Mssrs. Stewart point out:

[D]emocracy and freedom are very fleeting—they can be possessed and then lost. A nation might be democratic for a period of time and then, through spasms of internal strife or war, revert to despotism. Over the past 225 years this has been shown again and again to be true, the tides of democracy causing many nations to sample and then lose the great gifts of freedom and democracy. The experience of Germany prior to World War I, immediately thereafter, and then during the reign of Hitler is a graphic example of this truth.
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For those of us living in the United States, a nation that has experienced more than two hundred years of unparalleled liberty, it is easy to take for granted the extraordinary gifts we have been given. And for most of us, it is much easier to become lackadaisical about these gifts than it is for the inhabitants of other nations who are forced to struggle every day in their battle for liberty. In fact, unless we are serious students of world history, or have traveled extensively, we might not recognize how unique the blessings of liberty actually are.

We should all remember this lesson, in this time of grave peril to liberty here in the USA and around the world.

The Miracle of Freedom is written with the common person, not the professional historian, in mind (though it certainly can appeal to the latter). Most of it reads more like a historical novel than an analytical text. It is an absorbing and highly informative work, and would make an excellent Christmas or Hanukkah gift.

Boycott Black Friday!

I'm adding my voice to the chorus calling for people to boycott "Black Friday," the Friday shopping day immediately after Thanksgiving. It's time to stop the madness into which major national retailers have turned this day, when people let themselves be manipulated by clever marketing into greedy monsters who steal items out of others' carts and literally trample store employees and each other to death in the mad pursuit of cheap merchandise. On top of that, the stores are now depriving their employees of a meaningful Thanksgiving with their families by making them come to work Thursday evening to open the stores by midnight or earlier, and work all night and day dealing with the mobs that the retailers have lured in with special "bargains."

If you have any sense of humanity left after our materialistic culture has done its work on you, don't let yourself become part of the problem; be part of the solution and choose to shop on another day. Don't buy into the idea that you can't pass up those bargains. If you can't afford certain things otherwise, just forget about them and buy something else--something you can afford on another day, regardless of discounts. Your giftees will be happy with what you get them anyway. Just pretend that "Black Friday" never existed, which was true not so long ago before we became pliant sheeple in the hands of corporate exploiters who couldn't care less about the sanctity of family holidays (I'm not a communist, just one who despises abuse of power whatever the source).

If you don't have to work on Friday, spend it with your family and do something fun together, like going to a movie or bowling. Or, find some charity to volunteer for. Decorate your house for Christmas. If you feel you have to shop on Friday, patronize small businesses like craft shops or independent book stores--you're likely to find some affordable gifts that will benefit your giftees more than electronics or expensive clothes. Above all, remember that this season isn't about the things, but the people--our spouses, children, siblings, parents, friends. We MUST make a habit of being thankful for them and of showing it by the love and personal help we give them every day of the year, not by the stuff we buy for them or how much or little we spend on it on some particular day. We can shed love abroad no matter how modest our means, and without paying a penny of tribute to a corporation or a government.

So, let's turn this Thanksgiving Day into Independence Day; let's reclaim our lives and our humanity, and rededicate them to our loved ones and to the God from whom all blessings flow. Boycott Black Friday!

P.S. If you'd like to get involved with others pursuing alternatives to Black Friday, you could start by visiting the excellent Facebook site called, appropriately enough, Boycott Black Friday.

O Valiant Hearts

National War Memorial, Ottawa, Canada

Of all the themes addressed in the catalog of sacred music, few weigh more heavily on the soul than the the loss of those who have given their lives in military service. Whether it is heard or sung by a mourning friend or a family member, or merely by a grateful fellow citizen, a hymn of remembrance for the fallen can provide sorely needed comfort and assurance to the spirit that the departed soldier, sailor, or airman did not die in vain, but "gave the last full measure of devotion" (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address) to his or her country and everything that that it, and we, hold precious.

Military hymns are widely heard on November 11, which is observed as Veterans Day in the United States and as Remembrance Day in Great Britain and Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These observances were established in the 1920s to commemorate the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918 that ended World War I--the so-called "War to End All Wars." If only it had been! The Great War, as it was called then, cost more than 117,00 American lives, but more than 10 million lives in Europe, in four short years. The fighting devastated large swaths of Europe, and with its mud-and-disease-ridden trench warfare, machine gunning, huge artillery barrages, and poison gas, involved combatants and civilians alike in a seemingly interminable orgy of suffering and death.

British wounded at Bernafay Wood, France, 19 July 1916

It's no wonder, then, that those who survived the Great War struggled to find some meaning in the tragic sacrifice of so many promising lives--young men they had known, loved, and cheered as they marched away into the most awful killing fields man has ever seen. For some, faith in God was shattered, but others turned to Him for comfort and hope with an even greater devotion. From that spirit was born the heart-rending, yet stirring hymn O Valiant Hearts. The text was taken from a poem by Sir John Stanhope Arkwright (1872–1954), a member of Parliament from Herefordshire, England, and published in "The Supreme Sacrifice, and other Poems in Time of War"(1919). It was set to music by Dr. Charles Harris, who was the vicar of Colwall in the same county. The combination of Harris' tune and Arkwright's words was an immediate success; the hymn was sung at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, London, on November 11 1920. Interestingly, according to a BBC feature on the hymn, "both men knew the pain of losing a loved one first hand - Dr. Harris lost a son in the First World War, and one of Sir John's two sons was killed in a submarine accident in World War II."

Sir John Stanhope Arkwright

The text and music of O Valiant Hearts are below:

O Valiant Hearts, who to your glory came
Through dust of conflict and through battle-flame,
Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved,
Your memory hallowed in the Land you loved.

Proudly you gathered, rank on rank to war,
As who had heard God's message from afar;
All you had hoped for, all you had, you gave
To save Mankind - yourselves you scorned to save.

Splendid you passed, the great surrender made,
Into the light that nevermore shall fade;
Deep your contentment in that blest abode,
Who wait the last clear trumpet-call of God.

Long years ago, as earth lay dark and still
Rose a loud cry upon a lonely hill,
While in the frailty of our human clay
Christ, our Redeemer, passed the self-same way.

Still stands his cross from that dread hour to this
Like some bright star above the dark abyss;
Still through the veil the victor's pitying eyes
Look down to bless our lesser Calvaries.

These were his servants, in his steps they trod,
Following through death the martyr'd Son of God:
Victor he rose; victorious too shall rise
They who have drunk his cup of sacrifice.

O risen Lord, O shepherd of our dead,
Whose cross has bought them and whose staff has led-
In glorious hope their proud and sorrowing land
Commits her children to thy gracious hand.

What most impresses me about O Valiant Hearts is the compelling way in which it compares the brave sacrifice of the men who fought for their country and people with the selfless sacrifice of Christ ("[t]o save Mankind - yourselves you scorned to save.") Our Lord is presented as the One who showed the way through awful trial to eternal victory, and in whose footsteps the valiant marched: "These were his servants, in his steps they trod/Following through death the martyr'd Son of God:/Victor he rose; victorious too shall rise/They who have drunk his cup of sacrifice." No greater tribute could be paid to fighting men than this.

This moving video presentation of O Valiant Hearts features the singing of the Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and was created as a tribute to the author's grandfather and father, who fought in World Wars I and II, respectively.

Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.
~ John 15:13

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One other indispensable feature of Remembrance Day is the playing of the Last Post. Originally a bugle call used in British Army camps to signal the end of the day, the call is now used at Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have fallen in war. The Last Post was featured in a post to this blog on November 11, 2009. To me it still means Remembrance, of America's fallen heroes as well as those of the Commonwealth. Once again, here is a rendition by the Royal Marine Buglers at the 2008 Remembrance service at Whitehall, London.

NOTE: This post was imported from my other blog, Songs of Praises. Visit that site for a full exploration of the best in sacred music, its history, and its meaning for us.