Faith from Far Away

Looking at this blog, there is something I have noticed. I am quick to write about family stuff back home, fun things, and places I have visited. One thing that has not been really mentioned on here is the war itself. The Army of the United States has been in Iraq four years and I have been here for 7 months. You may be wondering about my thoughts on what is going on here. To be honest, I am like almost every soldier here. All I see is my small part of a big war. I do not get to see Iraqi people except out the window of a Humvee or a helicopter. Especially as an unarmed chaplain, I not asked to walk through the streets of Iraq. The closest view I get is from the soldiers I take care of. They are the ones on the ground. They are the ones in harm's way. They are the ones that do the fighting. With being able to travel to other bases all the time to provide the sacraments to Catholic soldiers, I hear a lot of stories and impressions from soldiers. As I said, almost every soldier over here gets only a small view of a big war. When I get home I will be asked many times, "Is what we are doing over in Iraq worth it?" All I can say now is all I could say the last four years. I hope so. Looking at what is on the news, it seems like sectarian violence and terrorism will never end here. I hope it does, but I don't know the future for Iraq. What I do know is that the whole world, especially our soldiers, want the people here to realize that freedom is possible. Freedom is something worth fight for, worth dying for, worth reaching for. Being oppressed for so long, the idea of freedom is hard to imagine for people here. I am a man of faith. I have a faith that says, "With God all things are possible". Do I have hope for the people of Iraq? I sure do. Is this war the time when my hopes for Iraq will begin to be realized? I have no idea. God only knows that. This is why I pray. It may seem like I am avoiding answering the question of whether we should be here or not. I am not avoiding the question. I just don't have an answer. I do not know if anyone does. To be honest, my daily focus has nothing to do with the war on terrorism. My daily focus is on taking care of soldiers. I spend every minute of every day doing the little that I can to help soldiers. I love my job because it is more than a job for me. Being a priest and a chaplain is more than what I do. It is who I am. This may mean talking to a soldier who just killed someone, whose child is sick back home, or who may be searching for God for the first time. I get to see first hand how our soldiers are ordinary people and heroes at the same time. I get to see the mystery of the Cross as God is found even in the evils of war. I get to be an instrument of God's compassion and hope for men and women who are far from home, in a foreign and hostile land, and serving our country. In conclusion, I have the best job in the Army. I may not have the solution to the problems here in Iraq, but I love what I do. I pray that God will some how take care of the rest.