The Meaning of Remembrance Day

 

⁶  We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;
     we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
⁷  When our ancestors were in Egypt,
     they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
     and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. ^{[ b ]}

Psalm 106

We have always had memory problems.

I was moved as I saw a tribute to our veterans, this year. Particularly, pictures of young men, full of vitality and promise looking earnestly towards the camera. They were, they were sure, off to set the world right. I wondered, how many of them would return. And when they did, would they have the same exuberance? Or, would they have a soul full of memories that would haunt them to the grave.

Remembrance Day? What does it mean? What are we to remember? It is something about war, but we are not necessarily sure just what. My own take on it, over the years has been two fold. First, it is the recognition that war is a part of the Fall. Ever since Cain slew Abel, we have seen the fruit of animosity and an unwillingness and inability to sort out our differences in peace. War is wrong. At its best, even its proponents should admit, it is the ‘lesser of two evils’. The evidence of humanity’s capacity to wreak death and destruction, in the last hundred years alone, is beyond belief. I am not a principled pacifist. I can see the world in greys, but it is always in the recognition that, to quote William Sherman ( who was reasonably successful at it ), “War is Hell”.

Having said that, it is in the midst of man’s depravity in full display that we can see the magnificence of the human spirit. I have had an ongoing fascination with the Second World War. And in the stories I have read and gathered, I see deeply moving examples of human compassion and sacrifice. There are stories of human heroism that are soul stirring and even life altering. These are accounts of ordinary people ( the Frodos of the world ) whose God given image shone in the midst of the darkness. There are stories of the soldiers who lay their lives down so that I might be able to enjoy privileges that I pray I never take for granted. These stories are deeply humbling.

Remembrance Day? I remember in the biblical sense that I reconnect with the narrative. When our Jewish neighbors celebrate The Passover, they retell their Story. The “Good, Bad and Ugly”. Everyone, from young to old, participates in its retelling. They “Re-Member” the account of their deliverance from Egypt. It is a painful story, complete with tragedy and promise. And they vow to “never forget”. The narrative of Remembrance Day is not to glorify war. It is to remember our debt. It is to remember the horrific cost that many of our brightest and best paid for our freedom. It is to remember the tragedy that is war. And it is to remember heroism and sacrifice.

When I consider heroism and sacrifice, it always leads me to The Cross. And so it is today.