"Lazarus, Come Forth"—War, Soul Death, and Homecoming

Robert Emmet Meagher, author of Killing from the Inside Out, gives this fourth talk in CWCIT's Spiritual Works of Mercy Series. He addresses the work of mercy known as "praying for the living and the dead," from a unique perspective, as it relates to the spiritual wounds of war in veterans, their families, and their communities. Drawing on Jesus' words to his friend, Lazarus, in the Gospel of John, Meagher says:

Hearing that Lazarus was dead, Jesus wept and prayed. In an age of endless war, we too, in tears, must "pray always." It is one thing to go dark in death, and another to go dark in life. Among the casualites of war are those killed from the inside out: visibly unscathed, invisibly haunted. Any nation sending its daughters and sons into the valley of death must learn to call them back, body and soul, to the land of the living.
 

About the Speaker
Robert Emmet Meagher is professor of humanities at Hampshire College (Amherst, MA) and the author of numerous books, including Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War. 

About the Spiritual Works of Mercy
Acts of compassion, the Spiritual Works of Mercy guide us to do as Jesus did and help our neighbors in their times of spiritual and emotional need. Though sometimes worded differently, the seven spiritual works of mercy are

• Share the faith (often worded as "instruct the ignorant").
• Counsel the doubtful.
• Admonish the sinner.
• Comfort the afflicted.
• Forgive offenses willingly.
• Bear wrongs patiently.
• Pray for the living and the dead.

Learn more about the spiritual works of mercy here. For a guide to prayerful reflection on the spiritual works of mercy, visit the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's website. And explore the parallel 7 corporal works of mercy, which focus on responding to the basic physical needs of our human family.

Photo Credit: aurumarcus/Vetta/Getty Images
 

Questions?
Please contact CWCIT at cwcit@depaul.edu or 773.325.4158.

Parking at DePaul
Street parking (both free & metered) is sometimes available on campus, but there are also 2 parking garages available for visitors**:

~ Sheffield Parking Garage (2331 N. Sheffield Ave.)
~ Clifton Parking Deck (2330 N. Clifton Ave.)

**For a discounted rate, please ask for validation at the event's information table. Discounted rates are as follows:

Entrance before 4:00pm = $9.25
Entrance after 4:00pm = $7.25