"Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live." (Ezekiel 18:23,32)
We learned on Sunday that after 10 years in hiding, the mass-murderer Osama bin Laden has been killed by US Armed Forces. As I quickly scoured through social media posts, I found nothing but rejoicing at his death. Here are the first five posts I found:
"It's a GOOD day to be an American!"
"Yeah!!! Bin Laden is finally dead!"
"So after 10 years of hide and go seek the US wins. Boo-yah, bi***es!"
"I just got the news. Toasting our boys with a scotch."
"It's a GOOD day to be an American!"
"I can and will cheer for the death of this monster. He will be judged and found guilty (I Pray) by the most high God."
On top of these comments were a few videos spreading on the internet from my Alma Mater, the US Naval Academy, where a "spontaneous pep rally" (spontaneous gathering of all students in one place) was held to cheer and celebrate Osama's death. "I believe that we have won," they chanted over and over while jumping up and down, after learning that Navy SEALs delivered the fatal blows.
I'm not trying to defend any of the actions of Osama Bin Laden. They were despicable and evil. He was a mass-murderer and remained a threat to society. I made 2 deployments myself to the Persian Gulf to fight terror when I was in the Navy. I lost a Naval Academy classmate and friend in Afghanistan when he was shot in the chest by an insurgent sniper. I'm definitely not emotionally "separated" from what is going on there.
The Church allows execution in cases where someone remains a dangerous menace to society, and Osama continued to fund and support violence against innocent people. But my question is, why do we rejoice at his death...is it merely out of a sense of vengeance?
The Vatican issued an immediate statement about Bin Laden's death:
Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.”
Get that? We do not rejoice at anyone's death, no matter how evil they are, and even if it is justified. Even in cases of a just Capital Punishment, it is with great sadness that someone must be put to death to protect the rest of society.
Many hope that he will get his "just rewards" from God, implying that they hope he is damned. We should not wish eternal damnation on anyone - even our worst enemies. Remember, God created Bin Laden in the same way that He created us - in His image and likeness - so God loved Bin Laden as a person with His infinite love. He loves each and every one of us in the same way. Instead of rejoicing at this man's death, can't we as Catholics spare a prayer for his soul, which objectively is in need of many prayers? None of us are worthy of God's mercy or the gift of heaven. Let us pray for the forgiveness of all - even those whom we have come to despise.
Some might be offended, but tonight I will be praying for the eternal repose of the soul of Osama bin Laden. No one knows what went through his mind between the bullet hitting his head and death - perhaps his heart turned to God in perfect contrition. Only God knows, so may God have mercy on his soul if He sees it fit.
33 comments:
Amen.
It is not fair to judge how someone grieves! If your loved one was murdered, you might be happy if the murderer was caught and killed, or you might not. Either way, it is human to have feelings. Closure is very powerful!!
Anonymous, if people cannot refrain from rejoicing over Osama's death for his sake, then they should at least, while they are being selfish, refrain for their own sake.
When you rejoice, you delimit the humanity which the Eucharist restores. Further, you become more like Osama, inculcating and indulging hatred. This is a sin against yourself, your fellow man, and God. And those whom we have lost on Osama's account, who are in heaven would tell you the same, for they cannot but agree with the Holy Church.
Anon,
Why is not fair?
Indeed, it's human to have feelings but not all of our human feelings are correct.
Is it a good thing that OBL was finally dispatched? I would say "yes" and emphatically so. But with that goes a potential lost soul to Hell. Now that is powerful "closure."
I don't know about you, but I'm not happy about anyone potentially going to Hell. Indeed, there will be some but the prospect, no matter the individual, should be a cause of sadness.
Good post, Phil.
I rejoice that the teams that were sent in, all survived. That a well planned and executed mission was accomplished.
I do not rejoice in the deaths of Osama, and those with him. But I cannot say I am unhappy about his death. I do fear the judgment, and pray that the "judge" is merciful.
Too many people seemed focused on the one man, when in reality, there are thousands more, as deadly.
My brother was killed in Afghanistan in 2007. Bin Laden's death hasn't brought me any closure. I can't say I'm unhappy he's been stopped but it doesn't bring my brother back or make me feel any better. It just reopened that wound I've tried so hard to learn to live with. I realize there was no other way to deal with him, but seeing everyone rejoicing at the expense of another loss of life makes me feel even more sad.
I agree completely.
Shut your hole you Muslim lover.
Appian and Stu, thanks for the comments. Neither of you have any authority to suggest sin or judge what many are feeling and expressing during this time. 3K people lost and 10 years later, we celebrate the American resolve. Nothing wrong with patriotism.
Anon Y. Mous
I am the 1st Anonymous and did not make the Muslim lover comment. Just for the record. I did write a reply to Appian and Stu.
I must confess, I too was in a celebratory mood upon hearing of his death. It's difficult not to feel a sense of winning with this. I can understand the countless number of people who have lost loved ones by this man, embracing a feeling of satisfaction. It's a natural reaction. How can you forgive somebody like this? To pray for someone takes an act of love, the complete opposite of what we feel for him.
As a Catholic, I tend to easily forget the basic truths I learned. As with many of Christ's teachings, this is one that has always been difficult to grasp, but makes perfect sense if we as humans truly seek the kingdom of Heaven.
To be Christ like is not merely choosing which virtues to emulate, but to actually practice his teachings. We cannot call ourselves Christian if we become selective. After all, isn't the definition of Faith having trust in the truth however difficult to understand?
The topic of forgiveness brings to mind the Amish school shooting back in 2006. A single man wiped out 5 innocent young school girls and left 5 others seriously injured. What stuck in my mind about this horrible event was the response of the community. Some were shocked at the swift and complete forgiveness shown by the Amish families that lost children. When asked, they were quoted as saying "The Amish willingness to forgo vengeance does not undo the tragedy or pardon the wrong, but rather constitutes a first step toward a future that is more hopeful." Can we learn from this?
As an American, I know how I feel; as a Catholic I'm bound to forgive and pray. Evil exists and I would hate to contribute to it in any way.
I know that I smiled a bit when i heard the news. But for me it was more about the elimination of a threat. I spent the day occasionally throwing out a "Boo-yah! Head shot!" For that I blame my military days.
But in all honesty, I did say a pray for the repose of his soul at mass this evening. "Who is man that thou art mindful of him?"
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." - Martin Luther King, Jr, quoted by Penn Jillette on Twitter
Imagine the many conversions from Islam had bin laden become a Christian (before death)! The loss is not bin laden alone but the many that would have followed him to Calvary! I also look with trepidation at the retaliation and vulnerability of our troops, especially in AF!
I did not celebrate Osama Bin Ladens death.. I did not feel happy at all, but saddened by our country and all the sick comments.. Are we not just as bad as the enemy.. Jesus said, also the forgive those who persecute you and love them as Jesus loves you.. He was not a good man, but for our Country to be reunited in truth we must feel the truth in a Christian humble, not prideful way. God bless all.
I did not celebrate Osama Bin Ladens death.. I did not feel happy at all, but saddened by our country and all the sick comments.. Are we not just as bad as the enemy.. Jesus said, also the forgive those who persecute you and love them as Jesus loves you.. He was not a good man, but for our Country to be reunited in truth we must feel the truth in a Christian humble, not prideful way. God bless all.
Anon 12:04,
Nowhere did I accuse anyone of sin. But just because one is grieving, does not logically equate into all of their emotional responses being upright. One can feel pleased that a truly horrible man was killed (as am I) all while not gloating about his death. There is no need for it. And that's not me talking, but rather the God through His Church and Scripture.
And this has nothing to do with patriotism or feelings of resolve.
My cousin Michael was one of the brave firemen killed in the Towers. He was coming off duty and raced back to the job he loved so well when the planes hit. He died loving his job and his fellow man and just wanting to help the hurt and the frightened. That said, I too mourn the death of another human being; I leave the judgement of both Michael and bin Laden to our loving and just God; I will not rejoice in the death of one I consider a mass murderer, and I pray that the hatred that precipitated all of this begin to abate.
Stu,
First, get over yourself. Second, my comment also addressed Appian as well. You asked what wasn't fair. It is the criticism of how one chooses to behave following the news of Osama's death. To each it's own. Deal.
Appian,
On your blog you claimed to have seen a photo of Osama after the Navy SEAL raid. The official photo(s) hasn't been released yet. You saw a Photoshop pic.
Anon 7:05,
It's completely "fair" to judge the behavior of others even if they are grieving. Emotion doesn't somehow mitigate what is right or wrong. Might make faults understandable but not excusable. Now, it's up to you to show why that isn't true without simply giving your opinion or other silly invective.
Good day.
Sorry for my invectives Stuey. Apologies.
Philip, I really appreciated this. My soul was hurting quite a bit to see some of the reveling in his death, and I've been longing to see more Christians responding in a Christian way. I'm glad I bumped into your blog tonight.
(You don't know me, but I'm a friend of Phil's from St. Joe's, and have had you in my prayers.)
Being pro-life means being opposed to the intentional killing of any human being from conception to natural death. If the mission was to kill Osama, it was immoral.
If it was to arrest him but he resisted in a way that threatened the lives of the arresters, and killing him seemed to them on the spur of the moment to be the only alternative, it was legitimate defense.
It is regrettable: 1. that he was not brought to a fair trial so that all his crimes could be irrefutably established; and
2. that he did not have more than a brief moment to repent.
Father Canu,
One can be pro-life and take action to stop an attacker who threatens the life of an innocent person. Bin Laden was a combatant on the field of battle, which in the current struggle is almost everywhere, and more importantly a vital Command & Control piece of AQ. It is in that sense that he needed to be eliminated.
Philip,
The first thing I thought when I heard about Bin Ladens death was "Cripes, he is probably in hell" then I prayed an eternal rest prayer in case he repented, was in invincible ignorance is in Purgatory.
"But my question is, why do we rejoice at his death...is it merely out of a sense of vengeance?"
Philip, I am afraid we have become an "YEE-HAW" society.
It is the same mentality that thinks life is all about who wins the tar-heels game or the Notre Shame game.
Through US law, and support from the United Nations, Osama Bin Laden was a threat to the safty of mankind on Earth. His body was a deadly weapon and therefore the safty of our Navy SEALs were jeopardy. Noone deservies to end their life by another. But how does living body create fairness to the hundred of thousands of lives lost due to that one man? Why should one man live even though he ended the innocent lives of thousands?
Father Canu,
I mean no disrespect to you or your authority as a priest, but you may want to revise your definition of pro-life, because it sounds more like pacificism than being pro-life. Osama bin Laden is the charismatic head of an organization that sees as its mission the murder of peoples in the name of Allah, and according to his faith, is completely justified. If the mission was to either capture, or simply kill him, either way it was not immoral. The killing of Iman al-Zawahiri and other leaders, would not be immoral in traditional Catholic moral theology either. They are perpetually unjust aggressors whose capture, instead of killing, would create a mockery of justice and be a cause of immeasurable harm for any country that held them for trial. Osama has had his entire life to "repent" but he would never do so because he has done NOTHING wrong according to his faith in Allah.
The reason that Osama bin Laden was as placid and kind looking as he was is that, according to the strict dictates of al-Qu'ran, al-Shari'ah, the Salafi or Wahabi movements, and his profound and undeniable belief in Allah, he did absolutely NOTHING wrong, and is blameless in the sight of his God.
Osama bin Laden is, at best, as case of invincible ignorance of the truth of Christianity. They view us as polytheists, typically portraying belief in the Holy Trinity as belief in Three Gods, and they belief we are mistaken in Jesus' Divinity, regarding His mother as a perpetual Virgin, and Jesus as a prophet that proceeded the final prophet, Muhammad. Our belief in statues and icons, and belief in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, is tantamount to paganism and idolatry.
They are profoundly, undeniably and invincibly ignorant, but according to their religion, and their Allah, Wahhabists are duty bound to kill in his name, so that no Muslim would be oppressed by us, and the lands of the Prophet would be free, and all apostate Muslims would be rid of.
He would in no way feel obliged, even or especially at the moment of death at the hands of faithless infidels, to "repent" for his killers would be the unjust and faithless murderers ... of him.
I am not a Feeneyite, but I very much believe in Extra Ecclesia Nulla Salus and have a difficult time reconciling the rather broad "outs" that have been offered up by the Church since the time the Holy Office condemned Fr. Feeney's beliefs in 1949. I don't know what our Lord does with profoundly devoted non-Catholics, but it does present an interesting, if not critical, problem that Holy Church has not addressed since softening on EENS under Pope Pius XII, and substantially since the Council. It seems to me a CLEAR teaching before the Feeney affair -- barring some spontaneous conversion at the moment of death, bin Laden is suffering the Eternal damnation of Hell for his false belief and murderous ideology.
Nowadays, though, its not so clear with Holy Mother Church. Praxis, to me, it equivalent to heteropraxy in today's Church.
All this said, I joined Philip last night in that I prayed for bin Laden's soul, and I asked Him last night, as I drove past my parish and the tabernacle of our Most High God, how He dealt with Muslims, Jews, and Protestants that are well meaning -- if horribly wrong. Because I'd like to know the Truth.
I have spent a great deal of time reading the Qur'an, Arab, Suni and Shi'a history, and the works of Sayyid Qutb, Muhammad Ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, and the others that provide the foundational belief for Islamists throughout the world. Their arguments are persuasive and very strong for the Muslim believer, even if profoundly wrong in totality, and sincere, profound Muslim belief presents the largest threat to the Church going forward, along with capitalist materialism and the soul-deadening relativism that comes with it.
I confess to a certain ambiguity of feeling. I do feel some measure of justice was meted out to him who did so much injustice. Still, I don't think he was the player he once was, and that his death may have less a practical than a symbolic effect. I cannot judge the response of those who suffered directly from Osama's actions. But many of those displaying jubilation were celebrating because they think it represents a validation of this president. They and their hypocrisy are despicable. Obama has also unleashed a bombing campaign on Libya, to what purpose and with what collateral damage, I have no idea. And neither does he.
Eze 18 it is God who does not rejoice in the Spiritual death of people, not humans, read the Psalms people. Eze 18 in context is about spiritual death, not physical death. We are not God and as such we are expected to act like humans.
Philip
Very good post, and given your experience in the Navy and your current studies in seminary, your words carry a lot of weight.
When I heard the news (a day later!) My children and I prayed a chaplet of Divine Mercy for OBL's soul.
Glad to hear the good report from the doctor and hope to see you up at St. C/WF before you return to Overbrook.
Philip
I'm not offended. I was taking my children to school Monday when I heard the news, and we prayed a Divine Mercy Chaplet for OBL's soul.
Your post is excellent. Thank you for sharing the truth of our Catholic teaching.
So glad to hear of your good medical report. Hope to catch you at St. C/WF soon!
Thank you .. . you will make a wonderful priest! God bless you!
I am unconvinced that he was killed May 1st or if he's been dead for years.
I am unappreciative of all the unsavory 'side-stories' of Bin Laden.
I can only hope that all the media release of information is calculated by our Government, and not designed to create more violence or retribution.
I agree with you as a Catholic, we never know where his heart and mind were when faced with his demise.
My fallen nature however found the news of his death unsatisfactory. Bin Laden has caused immeasurable suffering for families here and in even in Muslim nations.
Recently a Catholic Man asked a Miami parish to pray for OBL soul. This made national headline news. http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212364875.shtml?rssfeed
Even some in the parish were outraged.
I often ask the Capuchin Friars to pray for my loved ones and also for people who drive me up the wall. Living or dead. By name. I request a mass for them. It is the highest form of Charity that I am aware.
Although I haven't requested one for OBL, I remember hearing about the above story in Miami and thinking, "And that is why I'm proud to be Catholic." We do things intellectually and not always because of how we feel about someone.
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