In the “Servant of the Lord” oracle featured in this Sunday’s reading from the Book of Isaiah, the prophet obediently accepts criticism and rebuff, trusting that he will not be disgraced in doing so. Retired Army General Stanley McChrystal accepted criticism for controversial comments made by subordinates in a magazine profile last summer and as a result was relieved of the command of forces in Afghanistan. Now he has been invited back to public service by the Obama administration to help oversee a high-profile initiative in support of military families.

McChrystal will lead a three-member advisory board of “Joining Forces,” which will encourage companies, schools, philanthropic and religious groups, and local communities to respond to the high stress endured by families of active-duty personnel, reservists, and veterans by striving to meet their special needs.

The high-profile program launched Tuesday at the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama highlights the fact that while the United States has been described as a "nation at war,” the burden of combat is carried by less than one percent of the population. The military has been fighting for almost a decade, the longest sustained conflict in the nation’s history. And unlike previous wars, the burden has been borne by an all-volunteer force.

Loyalty and faithfulness in times of adversity are key themes in this Sunday’s readings, says Prepare the Word scripture commentator Alice Camille. They are also central values to military life. McChrystal said Sunday that the Obama administration’s invitation to return to public service should be seen as proof to those in uniform, and to the American public, that there were no hard feelings on either side of the civilian-military divide.

“We can prove it’s about something bigger,” he said. “It sends a strong, positive message that this is about taking care of our people.”

Source: Articles by Thom Shanker for the New York Times and Lynn Sweet for the Chicago Sun-Times