I think it is easy to feel that nothing good is going on this our beloved fatherland, the USA. Along with the rest of the developed nations of the world, she kills her own innocents in abortion, taxes the livin' daylights out of her people, disrespects women, permits various crimes against humanity, has elite classes of people who have special privileges, and endorses numerous other attrocities. I am ashamed to say that I am often too quick to complain about these and other things. It seems that one common divider amongst Americans is the war in Iraq, the War on Terrorism. Yes, there are evil things going on, and thousands of people have been killed unnecessarily (God have mercy on them!). Would this happen anyway, even if the US military were absent? Perhaps. We just wouldn't know about it. However, whether or not we approve of the war and it's ideas, we should not let that influence our opinion of the soldier and his sacrifice. I was shocked when I met someone a while back who did not support the war, and therefore refused to pray for the soldiers or the government. I don't support abortion, but I still pray for abortionists and their aids. They are sinners like everyone else in the world, for crying out loud!

Our soldiers give up an aweful lot of goods in order to protect their countrymen and other innocents. No soldier likes to leave his family, face death every day, find mutilated corpses in the streets, watch orphans hunt the streets for food, or see terrorism/hate victims so badly mangled that they are not recognizably human. He cannot stop to say a rosary at any moment; he cannot play ball with his budies; chances are he cannot even take a walk to self-reflect. These things tax a soldier and put an intense spiritual and emotional burden on him, to say nothing of physical difficulties. That burden may persist for the rest of his life, a shadow across his mind that he will never be rid of. It is very tempting to engaging in immorality of some sort just to get away from pain and lonliness for a few minutes. Please pray for our soldiers, especially those overseas and away from their dear ones. Being a true man, strong in his convictions and certain in his love for God is not always easy, but is even more difficult when surrounded by the discouragment and hardship of war.

Our Lady, help of Christians, pray for our servicemen and women.