The War Saints

Happy Feast of All Saints, everyone.  Cribbing directly from my church's bulletin:

The early Church commemorated all the martyrs on a specific day that varied throughout the Church.  In the ninth century, the date of November 1 was fixed in the western Church as the day to commemorate all of God's saints who had died in the faith.  Today we observe the Feast of All Saints as we remember all those who have departed to be with the Lord[....]

May each of us follow their example of faith as we look towards our Lord's return on the Last Day

The Gospel reading was Matthew 5:1-12, aka the Beatitudes.  As always, Christ prescribes methods that are completely at odds with the world and what the world knows to be wise - Blessed are those who mourn?  Blessed are the poor in spirit?  It seems like utter foolishness to a worldly man.

But like all of the Bible, cherry-picking aspects for personal reasons happens even here, such as verse 9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

Easy, right?  "Don't fight, fighting's bad.  Turn the other cheek.  Just suffer in silence."

If it's in the Bible, it's demanded of us, and it seems easy... it's probably because you misread it.

To be a peacekeeper is obviously to seek a peaceful resolution whenever you can, but no one ever seems to bring up the times when you can't find a peaceful solution.  What then?  Is it truly bringing peace to quietly accept annihilation?

The only thing that can truly bring peace is to preach the Good Word.  To not go down quietly, but loudly proclaiming your faith.  And do not just blithely allow yourself to be killed, for that is suicide.  Do not leave your family unguarded, for how is that love of them that you'd leave them up to those who wish them harm?

When someone brings war to you, the quickest road to peace is a decisive victory, not a long drawn-out placation where your nation is completely subverted.

Ah, but the martyrs died!  Let us be like the martyrs.  However, a martyr is not a martyr because he is suicidal, but because between the option of death and renouncing Jesus he'd rather die every time.
Suicide remains a sin.

If peace was simply no hostilities, then we ought to be doing whatever makes other people most happy... which in many cases would be to shut up, stop talking about Jesus, stop worshiping Him!

Do your best to perish the thought, not yourself.