A reader writes:

My teenage daughter seems to have a fairly persistent interest in joining the military. I’m not a pacifist, but I’m wondering, Is it legitimate to join the armed forces, knowing that you may be asked to fight in an unjust war, or commit unjust actions during even a war entered into for just reasons? Of course you could go into it intending to judge as you go along whether your superiors’ orders are legitimate, and being willing to take the consequences for disregarding illegitimate ones, so as to avoid being like a Nazi who was “just following orders.”

Also, what about the moral legitimacy of putting yourself under the authority of whoever happens to be Commander in Chief? I would have serious reservations for that reason alone, and I have the usual maternal reaction to the thought of my child killing and getting killed, but besides that, I don’t understand the principles involved, and would love to hear your thoughts on this.

God bless you and your writing!

Oh dear. I’m extremely reluctant to give advice on such matters. The Church’s tradition has ample room both for the Just Warrior and for the Pacifist. We have had saints who have fallen into each category. There are risks to each position, both to the body and to the soul. A soldier, as you note, might be commanded to do something unjust and gravely evil. (No small part of my ire at the Bush Administration was the thought of grunts who signed up to defend their country after 9/11 being placed in a position of having to do gravely immoral acts of torture at the insistence of a draft dodger like Dick Cheney–and then taking the fall for it while the people who architected the policy skate.)

At the same time, the pacifist is not without his dangers, not least of which is the temptation to look down pridefully on the Just Warrior and disparage his courage in a really Just War. That pride can send you to hell just as effectively as torture–and it’s a more insidious sin.

Bottom line: I think your daughter needs to figure this one out for herself. Not knowing her or you, I think my advice or counsel isn’t worth a dime.