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This is expressed in Arcana Coelestia, or Secrets of Heaven:
When the eyes of a person [any person] are fixed on what is right and good he is
like a soldier fighting in battle for his country. During it he gives no thought at all to
his life, nor to his status or his assets in the world, which compared with what he is
doing are of no importance to him. (Arcana Coelestia 9210)
We all know, deep inside, that we are not honoring death itself nor are we
glorifying dying. We are honoring the spirit that these people most pointedly
modeled for us of selfless service to the neighbor, selfless to the point of
discomfort, danger and high risk.
We are honoring those men and women who carried this spirit in fullness
all the way to the point of physical death. Remembering them is reminding
ourselves to live for the sake of others in everything that we do.
Today we honor those who gave their lives for our country, our freedom
and our safety and protection. Today, the citizens of this nation are honoring
those who gave their lives in military service – whether in combat or not,
nevertheless while on duty in the spirit of service. It is truly an ultimate act of
giving.
Think about the parents, the siblings, the families decorating the graves
of their loved ones in beautiful cemeteries today. Think of those you yourself
know who died in service to this country. In your mind, lift your thoughts
to them and decorate their lives. Acknowledge the spirit of their sacrifice
and adorn it with flowers. And then lift your thoughts to the Lord of the
resurrection, the God of life itself.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.” (John 14:27)
The Rev. Thomas H. Rose is retired on disability as a minister
of the General Church. He served most recently as pastor of
the Ivyland New Church in Pennsylvania. He has also served in
Mitchellville, Maryland, in Connecticut and in Bryn Athyn. He
and his wife, Annette (Henderson), live in Huntingdon Valley,
Pennsylvania. Contact: [email protected]
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