As the protests and violence in Ukraine continue, one of the most touching events to reach the media here in the West is the images and videos of Ukrainian priests and laypeople standing voluntarily in the line of fire between police and protesters, advocating peace. In the video above, priests stand in the paths of flaming projectiles being thrown at the police line, running with icons to discourage missiles. Reconciliation is obviously the goal, but these priests know that sometimes to reconcile, first you have to stand in the way of the fighting. They know truly that blessed are the peacemakers.
- Amber Bennett
After watching this video clip, it really struck me how much reconciliation also seems to require sacrifice. Reconciliation can be dangerous, but these priests obviously know that peace and reconciliation are worth the price they pay. I wonder if part of the problem with a lack of reconciliation in the world today comes from a modern reluctance towards self-sacrifice which springs from our tendency towards a "practical materialism" (GS 10). Self-sacrifice isn't practical or profitable in a material sense. and people are pragmatic these days. They generally don't want to put their lives on the line for an abstract idea like reconciliation between forces much larger than themselves, even if they are willing to acknowledge that the end goal of reconciliation is a good one. We could all learn a lesson from these brave priests who are open to self-sacrifice in order to achieve a much more important goal. If everyone was willing to put their lives on the line like this in order to reconcile opposing forces, I believe that conflicts such as the one in Ukraine would end much more quickly.
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