Pastor takes up fast for peace
4/15/2003 News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn. A UMNS Report By Holly Nye*
By Holly Nye*
When bombs started falling on Iraq, the Rev. Dick Capron, a
United Methodist pastor in Delanson, N.Y., decided to embody his prayers
for peace by beginning a spiritual fast.
The 54-year-old pastor
and pastoral counselor has maintained his fast since March 19, when
U.S.-led forces began the military action to topple Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein.
"I couldn't see life going on as usual while people are being killed in an unnecessary action," Capron explains.
Though
his concerns continue, he has chosen Easter Sunday, April 20, as an
ending date for his witness. His fast will have lasted 32 days. "The day
of resurrection is a good time to move forward with life," he says.
Having
read the works of Mohandas Gandhi, Capron believes fasting can "release
a kind of moral energy into the universe." He considers his fast a
spiritual response to the world situation. "It's a way to pray with
one's whole body, not just with the mouth," he says.
For 10
years, Capron fasted one day a week as a gesture of opposition to
capital punishment. He understands his action to be part of a long
tradition of spiritual fasting. When he discussed his fast with
colleagues in a peer group, he reports, a Korean pastor said, "In Korea
we do that sort of thing all the time."
Capron was moved to begin
his fast as he contemplated his frustration at the outbreak of war. "I
had tried to be part of the resistance to this action," he says. "But
now I had a sense that this was something that human hands alone could
not change, and I needed help. I prayed, 'What can I do?' When the idea
of a fast came to me, I began to pray for strength to see it through."
For
18 days, Capron lived on water. Responding to his spouse's concerns
about his health, he began taking nutritional drinks twice a day and
eating small amounts of yogurt.
Even as the active phase of the
war seems to be winding down after the first three weeks, Capron is
clear that the danger to U.S. troops and to Iraqis is not over. Attacks
on occupying forces will likely continue, he believes.
"As a
therapist," he says, "I know that the way to reduce aggression is make
people feel safe." People commit acts of aggression such as suicide
bombing in reaction to feeling overpowered, he says.
Beyond the
immediate danger to the lives of civilians and military personnel,
Capron says his fast shows concern for the future consequences of the
war. "What are the long-term effects on the infrastructure, on the
environment - the soil, water and air?" He also wonders about the
long-term health effects, both to the Iraqis and to U.S. personnel.
"Innocent people will continue to be affected," he asserts.
Capron
affirms that he supports U.S. troops, and wants to see them return home
safely. He has a nephew serving on a supply ship somewhere in the
region, and is concerned for him and for all those affected by the
conflict.
Says Capron: "I'd just like the killing to stop."
# # #
*Nye is the communication director for the Troy Annual Conference. |
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