An Advent call to the church
As we enter this season of Advent the board of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company, The Witness' contributing editors and the staff of The Witness magazine and website call the Episcopal Church and all people of faith to prayer for the victims of the September 11 hijackings and attacks and for all victims of the "war against global terrorism." We also call for sustained reflection about the morality of the bombing of Afghanistan and national policies associated with the war that are affecting the welfare of global citizens, asylum seekers, economic refugees and the earth. We hope that this reflection may lead us to committed personal and public witness on behalf of justice and peace.

To aid in such reflection, and in a spirit of Witness tradition, we offer these words of Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that."

We also offer our individual prayers and reflections on the war in the "a Globe of Witnesses" section of our website, at <www.thewitness.org>.

Recent discussions among board members, staff and contributing editors have led The Witness' editorial staff to begin making plans for an issue on "Faith and patriotism" for March 2002.