Secundus, non nocere.
Second, do no harm.
Love does no harm to a neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
-Romans 13:10
+++++++
Let us remember the fallen
and pray for the families
whose loved ones
have been thrust into harm’s way.
Let us say their names:
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39,
of White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35,
of Winter Haven, Florida.
Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42,
of Bellevue, Nebraska.
Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20,
of West Des Moines, Iowa.
+++++++
Second, do no harm.
+++++++
Operation:
the fact or condition of being active
Epic:
something huge or unforgettable
Fury:
wild and violent anger
Obliterated:
to destroy utterly, wipe out
+++++++
The older I get,
and the more experiences I have
under my belt,
the more interested I become
in the choice of our words,
the story behind them,
and why we share them with others.
Word choice is
one of the most powerful tools
we have to communicate
what we think,
what we feel, and
what we need or want.
String enough words together
and you create a picture and a story.
In the case of
the Trump Administration’s
war on Iran,
I had to look no further
than the name
of this unholy crusade.
+++++++
Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
-Proverbs 22:8
OPERATION EPIC FURY
is the perfect title
of this horrific war story.
Because the title of this story
reflects the people
who gave it its name.
What the name
Operation Epic Fury
literally means is this:
“The active engagement of
HUGE
UNFORGETTABLE
WILD
VIOLENT
ANGER.”
I couldn’t have stated it any clearer.
That is exactly
what is taking place.
Second, do no harm.
The Trump Administration
has already shown
it does not care about
the suffering,
the struggling, or
the killing
of his own people,
let alone people a world away.
And I can’t understand
why anyone would want
these power-hungry people,
and the words and actions
they have chosen,
to be the story we tell
of the United States
to the entire world.
These words and deeds
do not speak for me
or most anyone else I know.
But, I must admit,
there are many millions of us
who accept and accelerate
this furious and fiery war path
we have chosen.
Second, do no harm.
What’s becoming more transparent
these past few day is watching
the leadership of ruthless men
jacked up on
anger, power, and control
hold those attributes
as some great achievement
over protecting the sanctity of life
for all..
They have started a war
with a country of 90 million people,
without communicating
a plan or a purpose
to the people paying for it (us).
Well, that’s not true.
I’ve read about
10 different justifications
for this war.
So it’s probably more accurate
to say that
the Trump Administration has
too many plans and
too many purposes,
making Americans blind
to any coherent strategy
or direction.
There is no evidence
that Iran was an imminent threat
to the United States
Furthermore, this war bears
no worthy goals or incentives
for the American people.
Second, do no harm.
When this administration said this
in June of 2025:
“Iran’s Nuclear Facilities
Have Been Obliterated
— and Suggestions Otherwise
are Fake News,”
were they lying back then or lying now?
The objectives and the narration
of this war
are as clear as mud.
And that is intentional.
You can’t fight back against
what you can’t articulate.
Here’s a brief example
of the chaos and confusion caused
by an ever elusive story line:
“[Donald Trump to] The Washington Post
Saturday: “all I want is freedom”
for the Iranian people.
Trump told ABC News’ Rachel Scott
that he had a “beautiful plan”
for Iran’s future
and told other outlets
there were “good” candidates to take over.
However, Trump later told ABC’s Jon Karl
in a Sunday interview
that the people the administration
had in mind were dead.”
-Axios
Second, do no harm.
And now, let’s turn to a few headlines
of what we’ve accomplished so far:
-86-year-old
Iranian Supreme Leader dead,
a figurehead who most likely
has not been leading anything
for a while and
whose line of succession
has been in place for years
and that succesion
might very well end up
installing his own son into power
-180 children dead
most of them
schoolgirls aged 7 to 12 years old
-1,300+ Iranian civilians dead
-6 U.S. service members dead
-3 American planes
shot down by friendly fire
Second, do no harm.
And again,
I’m focused on the words.
United States
intelligence assessments found
that the Islamic Republic [Iran]
was not actively pursuing the bomb
and was a decade away
from obtaining one.
Let’s not forget Obama’s
nuclear proliferation agreement with Iran
and this agreed upon goal:
“Enrichment Restrictions:
Iran agreed to reduce its stockpile
of enriched uranium by 98%
and to keep its level of enrichment at 3.67%,
which is suitable for
civilian energy production
but far below the 90%
required for weapons.”
Donald Trump
threw that agreement out the window,
complaining about how much money
we were handing over to Iran
by lifting some sanctions.
That money will be a pittance compared
to the American lives and tax dollars
we will dump down the drain
for this misguided, unwanted war.
Second, do no harm.
He who sows injustice
will reap calamity and futility,
and the rod of his wrath
[with which he smites others] will fail.
-Proverbs 22:8
As a Christian,
I wonder how war with Iran
will bring anyone:
Closer to Christ.
Closer to Justice.
Closer to Healing.
Closer to Peace.
This is absolutely a test for us all.
Until we are willing to throw down
our guns, our bombs, our egos,
and our lust for absolute power at all costs
—in order seek a true and lasting peace—
absolute anger, harm, pain, and death
will come to so many we have never met.
Some will say lasting peace is not possible.
That may be true,
but that doesn’t mean we stop trying.
Because it is in the trying
that we truly heal a broken world.
Second, do no harm.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It
always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
-1 Corinthians 13:6-7
I pray,
even in this most trying season
and within this Lenten Lament,
that these words
dwell deeply in your heart
and invite you into
a larger community
that holds and sustains
every one of us
A community that loves, hopes,
and speaks the truth
above all else.
May God grant safety and protection
for the Iranian people
and anyone in harm’s way.
May all US service members
be safe from harm
and guide them
to consciously seek ways
which minimize the harm
inflicted on the innocent
wherever they live.
And may peace always trump fury.
Finally,
when we all meet again,
‘cause we will all meet again,
may the Stranger
staring back at you
share a story of grace and healing
about how they were treated
by you and by us.