Memorial Day, requiescat in pace

The graves.
These people — good people — who died in the war,
they died because they were called to defend their homeland,
to defend values, to defend ideals and, many other times,
to defend sad and lamentable political situations.
And they are the victims, the victims of war,
that eats the children of the homeland.

I stopped in front of a tomb:
“Inconnu. Mort pour la France 1944” [Unknown. Died for France 1944].
Not even the name.
In God’s heart is the name of all of us,
but this is the tragedy of war.
I am sure that all these who went in good will,
called by their homeland to defend it, are with the Lord.
But do we, who are on the journey, fight sufficiently
so that there will be no wars?
So that the economies of countries are not fortified by the arms industry?
Today the sermon should be to look at the tombs:
“Died for France”; some have names, some others do not.
But these graves are a message of peace:
“Stop, brothers and sisters, stop! Stop, arms manufacturers, stop!”.
I leave you with these two thoughts.
“You who are walking, think about your steps,
and of your steps, think about the final step”:
may they be in peace, in peace of the heart, all in peace.
The second thought:
these graves that speak, cry out, they cry out of themselves,
they cry out, “Peace!” – Pope Francis, impromptu homily during Mass at the French Military Cemetery in Rome on All Souls Day, 2021

I saw the light fade from the sky
On the wind I heard a sigh
As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers
I will say this last goodbye
Night is now falling
So ends this day
The road is now calling and I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the Sea
Under cloud, beneath the stars
Over snow and winter’s morn
I turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell
Many places I have been
Many sorrows I have seen
But I don’t regret
Nor will I forget
All who took that road with me
Night is now falling
So ends this day
The road is now calling
And I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the Sea
To these memories I will hold
With your blessing I will go
To turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell
I bid you all a very fond farewell