Is the world in a new landgrab? Russia is killing lots of people as they try to grab Ukraine. Israel has grabbed the Gaza Strip at the cost of the lives of many thousands of civilians. China is threatening to grab Taiwan. And now the incoming President of the USA is threatening to grab Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada, parts of Mexico, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. This “gimmie gimmie” or else attitude has the world tottering on disaster!

These thoughts came to me New Year’s morning 2025 when I saw a picture of the faces of Russian soldiers lined up to be marched into war:

Soldiers when they were little children in their hometown wanted to play, not to kill and be killed. But now they’ve been trained to see things differently and so there will always be wars and rumors of war. Lasting peace will be seen as only a dream and Christ’s command to “Love your enemies,” will continue to be His most ignored words. Regardless of what other people do, I’ll pray Saint Francis’ prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

Some people are sent to go and die in war and some people get to stay at home and make money. A very few people who sit and govern in safety and comfort get to decide which people are sent. That’s never seemed fair to me.

Old soldiers may “just fade away,” but dead soldiers on the battlefield were quickly turned into corpses.