Pray for Peace and Act with Love
Peace is more than the absence of war or violence, although that is always a good place to start. I remember reading in Gerard Hughes SJ book, ‘God of Surprises’ that there is no such thing as defensive nuclear weapons. The chapter on nuclear threat was added when the book was reprinted. Fr Gerard’s point was that no one invested in weapons that are equal to or lesser than their perceived enemy. By nature, when feeling under threat, disregarded, victims of injustice or just angry with their lot, people want products/policies/actions that are stronger and faster than their enemies/perceived enemies in order to beat them.
This can be the same whether we are talking about actual weapons or the weapons of our media, our thoughts and our own written and spoken word or just the perception a person or country wants to portray. When we are blocked by fear, or worse still revenge and anger, or driven to prove a point, right a perceived wrong or just not give up power or status, we so often struggle to find peace within ourselves or offer authentic peace to others on the local, national and international scale.
When Jesus says to his disciples, “my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27), he is not saying that there will be an absence of struggle or difficult decisions. In fact almost all the disciples who heard that message went on and in different times and places gave their lives for their faith. Equally when he implores us to ‘Love our enemies’ (Matthew 5:44) he is not saying it will be easy or without difficulty but that it is the most authentic way to build God’s kingdom, yes God’s kingdom, not our own on earth.
As we remember the third anniversary of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, not counting the initial invasion and subsequent annexation of Crimea in 2014, we remember all those who have being made homeless through violence, whether in Ukraine, Russia, Myanmar, Sudan, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Afghanistan and many other places around the world, including on the streets of our own towns and cities. We pray for those who cause harm whether in word or action and those who create/support dis-ease in the lives of ordinary people for their own gain, as well as those who hurt others due to having being hurt themselves or due to their own mental ill health.
May the “peace that only God can give” (John 14:27) be born in the hearts and minds of all those who are entrusted with leadership in our world, and leaders are not just those with job titles and roles. We all have the capacity to lead whether in our families/workplace/schools/colleges or places of worship. In the same way, as tough as it is, we are all called to love, and love always comes at a cost. It is not be to equated with liking someone or something, but we can still be called to love.
We inhabit our common home together and need to do our best to preserve it together. That is why we are called to pray for peace, and act with love. Praying for an end of violence is an important aspect of this, but we also need to pray for a growth in inter-connectedness between all people and all creation, so that we come to realise that what hurts one member of our common home, hurts us all. May Our Lady Queen of Peace, pray with us and for us and our world.
