Memorial Day ideals

What are the two main purposes of Memorial Day parades?

The first is of course to honor all those who sacrificed, and those who were willing to sacrifice, all they had for the benefit of others, in standing up and fighting for the rights of others by opposing those who start wars and deny objective moral law .

The second is to help make everyone feel the guilt they should feel for not doing something to help those they can AND THEN the will to do more in the coming year BY GOD’S GRACE AND MERCY.

I believe “BY GOD’S GRACE AND MERCY” should be a universal element of mature faith to any who believe in an infinite Creator God because of the simple reasoning that if God is infinite goodness, then we can have no goodness of our own that has not been given to us, shared with us, by God. IN MY OPINION, that is why all ministers, of all faiths, should publicly unite and witness to their shared faith that all should pray:

“Dear God, because we can do no good without your mercy and grace, we cannot be people of good will, willing good for everyone, and we cannot maintain any of ‘our’ good habits, or break any bad habits, except by your grace and mercy. Please deign to always give me, my family, friends, enemies, everyone the graces to choose to ask for.”

1. The graces to be people of good will, willing good for everyone, willing them to be good, to be holy and the graces to do everything we can to help them. The graces for us to will to love all as you love all by willing to sacrifice our wants for the pleasures of this life in order to help others in their material and/or spiritual needs.

2. The graces to believe in you and to continue to believe in you;

3. The graces to want to pray ever more perfectly and to pray ever more perfectly, and

4. The graces to want to know and believe all the truths that You want everyone to want to know, believe and understand the way you want us to understand them.

Should all ministers of all faiths publicly unite and encourage all to pray such? Will your minister help lead the way? If not, why not?

Do not all laity have a moral obligation to try and help their ministers to be the best minister they can be by encouraging them to rouse us to good works, to rouse us to sacrifice more and to help others in imitation of those who sacrificed, or were willing to sacrifice, all for the benefit of others?

If we can do more to encourage all to do more to help others, and we do not do it, are we really honoring those who we say we want to honor on Memorial Day? Are we failing in how we use Memorial Day parades?

Douglas Kraeger, Oneida