Latino McCain, ¡Olé!

Hugo Chávez

So, I am in Miami, visiting my mother after meeting with one of our Antiochian priests here. And, the TV is on to one of the local Miami Spanish channels. And, a McCain Spanish-language political ad begins to play. It is an anti-Obama ad based on his statement that he would be willing to meet with world leaders, even if they were anti-USA.

Next thing I know, the ad is playing loud screaming anti-American clips from the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. The clips were so virulent that they were forced to beep out some of the words because of their inappropriateness. What struck me is that to the English-speaking Americans, the ads generally use the President of Iran, Aminidinajab. He is the English-speaking “devil.” But, to the mainly Cuban audience of Miami, the “devil” is anyone who espouses Latino Marxism. Both the English language and the Spanish language commercials assume that it is both fruitless and naive to talk to such people.

And, so, I found myself wondering. Are the two choices to refuse to talk and to try to change other world leaders by measures of force (economic embargoes, financial blockages, bombings, invasions) or to be fruitless and naive?

It seems to me that the Book of Jonah speaks to such situations. The Prophet Jonah was so convinced that he should not talk to the Ninevites that he actually fled from the presence of God. After all, they were a bloodthirsty people and they would not change. And, even should they change, the book appears to say that Jonah would have been against an “easy” forgiveness. At the end, he even faults God, defending himself by saying that he knew that God would be too quick to forgive (as though that were somehow wrong). But, Jonah was wrong. The people of Nineveh did change, as a result of his preaching to them. And, surely, God has the right to forgive people without requiring an extensive punishment prior to his forgiveness.

Perhaps it is the same with us. It is never fruitless and naive to be willing to speak to those who are our “enemies.” But, it is important to speak truth with them, as Jonah did. And, since we are not prophets of the Lord, it is equally important for us to listen to the grievances that countries have against our country. We are not so guiltless as to claim that we have nothing that we need to change in our relationships with other countries. Neither need we be so naive as to believe that there is no true evil in the world.

There is true evil in the world, and there are times when it needs to be fiercely opposed. I am grateful to those of the “greatest generation” who fought in World War II. They opposed an incredible and Satanic evil. But, there are also times to reach an understanding with those who oppose us, and even to extend the hand of forgiveness to them, should they “repent.” Finally, where we are found to be wrong, as a result of our willingness to talk, we should be the first to “repent,” ask for forgiveness, and seek to make restitution. If we are truly a Christian nation, we can do no less.

Our Lord says that the peacemaker is blessed. But, the peacemaker needs to neither be naive nor intransigent. May our Lord give us the great mercy to be able to find the correct balances. We need some of His blessings in this country of ours.