The Mess in Syria

Anna is back home after her mission trip to Kentucky and she is pondering some major life choices right now.  So we'll move away from the story today.  For today is a day of prayer and fasting as proclaimed by Pope Francis I.  A day to unleash the power of our prayers so that the will of God is done, not ours.

There have been many despots in the history of the world, and some of them we are more familiar with than others.  Each Christmas season we are reminded of the cruelty of Herod who led the Romans when Jesus was born.  Most of us have heard of Attila the Hun who lived from 409 to 452, I think it is.  Vlad the Impaler is another one that comes to mind, the actual person who inspired the fictitious Dracula and ruled in Transylvania.

Many leaders who chose the dark side have come from the Middle East.  And now we have become acquainted with Mr. Assad who has distinguished himself from some of the others for his use of sarin gas on his own people.  Sarin is odorless and colorless and it attacks the nerves, not allowing the nerves to go into a relaxing phase.  Thus, death is caused by asphyxia because the victim can't control the lungs to breathe.  If atropine is administered shortly after exposure, the power of the gas is neutralized.  However, it is very potent and even in very small concentrations, it can leave permanent nerve damage.  The shelf life of sarin is not long; it degrades fairly rapidly.  The purity of Syria's sarin is still being debated; was it weapons grade or was it something more likely cooked up by amateurs.

The news reporters on TV this week have been divided on what they think the United States should do.  Some of the ones I've come to find most credible have endorsed military action of some kind.  Others have worried about the Pandora's box effect, that being using military action of some limited nature and watching it spawn into something completely out of control. 

Don't you ever wonder at the definition of weakness?  I suppose the Romans looked at Jesus as weak because he was easily captured and put to death.  What registers in the mind of someone like Assad?  What makes his stand and take notice?  What message would hit him hard and make him truly think about his actions?  For this is a civil war, Syrians against Syrians.  Power mongers against power mongers.  Mr. Assad wants to protect his power at all costs and some have paid a very high price for his wants.

As for me, my dear friends, I am weary of war.  Back in 1993 in the first Gulf War, our actions seemed justified to me.  But then came more wars, more conflicts, more battles.  Where does it end?  Who makes it stop? 

Mr. Assad to me is just another scared little boy inside a man's body, afraid of losing his grip on the power he has come to crave so much.  He lives a life filled with hatred and revenge, enough so that allowing children to die of sarin poisoning is a viable solution.  And probably the worst thing, Mr. Assad does not value life, other than his own. 

Today, and why stop then, tomorrow and the day after, let us pray for peace in the world.  Let us pray for leaders to have clarity and strength.  Let us join with all of those called to prayer and fasting by Pope Francis and show the world what real power is.