There is much that is absurd about war. But there is nothing absurd about the self-sacrifice we remember on ANZAC Day.
There is much that is enslaving about war. Yet it stirs men and women to lay down their lives in a way that sets free.
There is much that should be forgotten about war. But self-sacrifice so that others may live should never be forgotten. It is what makes a society truly human. It is what makes it possible to live in peace.
Beyond all that is absurd and enslaving about war, beyond all that should be forgotten, the sacrifice of those who have died in war should be remembered and celebrated on this ANZAC Day. For without it, we have no way of escaping the seemingly endless spiral of violence and death; and because of it, we can live in peace.
Christians put their faith in a death that brings life; and in the death of those who have died in war, we see the figure of the one who hangs on the Cross. His death seemed a defeat but was a victory. Their death too seemed a defeat, but it was a victory – not only for them but for all of us.
Lest we forget.
Archbishop Mark Coleridge
April 22, 2013