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Picture a world where war is not an option. Think of all the human problems and disputes that would still exist but would need to be resolved in another way. Pray to God that you might play a part in that new world.
Slogans, bumperstickers and soundbites evidence that political rhetoric is at an all-time high. Many Christians are struggling to understand how to be faithful both to spiritual values and country. Many are conflicted, too, with how to balance a desire for peace with political reality.
In Novena in Time of War, writer and Gulf War veteran Jim Melchiorre offers readers a prayerful approach to the dialogue, one that addresses hard issues about violence and fear while making conceptual issues real through stories of soldiers and families on both sides of the war in Iraq.
What's a novena anyway?
A novena is a nine-day prayer cycle of devotion and intercession used in times of great need from the Catholic tradition. Novena in Time of War is a short course of study, prayer, reflection and discussion that can be done in nine days or, better yet for fuller contemplation, in nine weeks.
Each chapter includes a powerful vignette, prayer, suggested prayer focus and questions to consider or discuss.
"I would like to confront some questions that might be answered differently by people with another lens of nationality, faith or geography," writes Melchiorre. "I'd also like to be so presumptuous as to try to figure out, by reference of scripture and tradition, how God might evaluate the issue and, because of my own faith, what Jesus might say or do."
Novena in Time of War is a book of questions, not answers. A collection of explorations, not conclusions. Even if some of us can avoid thinking about the issues of war, Christians must not opt out of the soul searching. As Melchiorre writes, "Of all the plagues of humankind, war seems particularly worthy of our constant prayer."
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