Have you ever seen soldiers returning from an operation, or perhaps in a camp after endless months of fierce fighting and battles? Surely almost all of us have “witnessed” this, whether in person, in a documentary, or in a film. At the very least, we can all (like) imagine it.
You might see here people who had to have their legs amputated because they had been hit by the enemy; on this side, you will see one-eyed men who have lost an eye due to shrapnel; on the other side, men in intensive care are lying on makeshift stretchers, having been surprised by a violent enemy attack while they had imprudently left the shelters. And sometimes, in certain corners, you will find people without the slightest apparent scratch, but after a brief exchange, you will discover that they are just as much war wounded; only their wound is mental; they deeply regret not having done at one time or another what they should have done, either through ignorance or fear of losing their lives; but when they look back at what it cost their comrades in arms, those they came to rescue from enemy captivity, they feel a deep regret, a deep shame. Finally, there are those who cry and earnestly want to be taken home; they feel they have given all they could, they just hope that the soldiers they leave behind, or the next waves that come to the battlefield, will finish the job, but as far as they are concerned, they are exhausted, even discouraged, and no longer hope to be able to fight any more battles.
Yes, my brother, yes, my sister, all of us who have at least a year of real-life faith are all war wounded. Wounded in this war that pits the kingdom of God, to which we belong and of which Christ is the Commander-in-Chief, against the kingdom of darkness, led by our Adversary, Satan. A war where our goal is that “the will of the Father be done on earth as it is in heaven.” A war that demands discipline from us, submission to Christ, the supreme Commander of our army; firm obedience to the orders assigned to us, whether specific or ongoing: to rescue a wounded or needy comrade-in-arms, to participate in the rescue of a comrade captured by the enemy, to participate in the rescue of prisoners from various nations held captive by the kingdom of darkness... And while we all know the overall goal, no one knows precisely the strategy, the detailed plans, the exact schedule of personnel renewal (who returns home when? who arrives on the battlefield when?). On the other hand, our duty remains to have faith in Christ Jesus, who directs the teams on the field, who knows exactly who to place where, at what precise time, for what duration and for what exact battle.
We have all experienced exhaustion and, in the worst cases, weariness and discouragement. But in such situations, we have only one attitude to adopt: rather than yearning to return home, we must beg God and Christ Jesus to refresh our hearts, filling us anew with His Holy Spirit. Let us remember Christ who, as his final battle approached, knew how to approach the Father, who sent an angel to strengthen him (Luke 22:40-46); let us remember Peter and the first disciples who, after the very first general persecution against the Church, knew how to rely on God who filled them with His Holy Spirit (Acts 4:23-31); let us remember Paul and Silas who, praying and singing like soldiers on the battlefield, saw God's action unfold for their liberation (Acts 16:23-31).
Perhaps you were seduced in one way or another during your life of faith, you wrongly refrained from proclaiming the name of Christ around you at a specific time, and now that someone has passed away without having known the Lord, you wonder if things would not have been different if you had preached Christ, if you had not kept your faith secret. Perhaps you dozed off in the middle of the fight, and a young man seduced you, a young girl aroused you, and you committed fornication; to the point that you are discouraged, believing that you have committed the irreparable.
Perhaps you recognize that, despite being a believer, you have until now led a life centered on yourself and your family, or on your family and your religious denomination; without assisting those people whom you rightly recognize as brothers and sisters and who at some point needed your ministry: a word of edification, encouragement, a prayer of intercession in the face of the ordeal they were going through… And when things worsened, you acknowledged that you hadn't done what you should have done at your level; for the distribution of soldiers into "denominations" is one thing, and the distribution of soldiers by Christ alone is another, for he alone ultimately assigns the tasks and communicates them to us through his Holy Spirit, who places the burden of fulfilling them in our hearts. But it is up to us to earnestly seek discernment and wisdom.
Eternal Most Holy God, I am a war wounded, and yet, in Your Grace, Your Goodness and Your Sovereignty, You have sovereignly decided that my participation in the battle of the ages has not yet come to an end. I pray and beseech You, that You alone, who know the foreseen duration of my presence on the battlefields, may guide me daily until the end of my days. May my participation in every battle, in every operation, fully satisfy You. Forgive me, O Good Father, for all those times I murmured against You in the pain of my wounds, wounds that stemmed from my disobedience. I would like, O my good Father, that at the end of my days of arms, I may be able to say like an illustrious predecessor: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7)
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