In a time of war please pray for peace urges Offaly influencer

In this most worrying time for our world, the subject of peace, above every other, commands the reflective attention of all people of reason and good will. It is eminently fitting to write this thought for the week about peace, as peace is the most precious good to ask of God at this time and to build with every effort, by means of concrete gestures of peace on the part of every man, woman and child of goodwill. As individuals, we earnestly desire peace.

We want peace in our homes, in our countries, in our relationships with one another and in our world. We want peace in our innermost thoughts and feelings. We believe that peace is God's will for the world, for the very birth of Jesus was heralded by the angels’ proclamation: “On earth peace” (Lk. 2:14). Jesus decreed peace for us again and again: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (Jn. 14:27).

We share the common heritage of peace with all people everywhere. If we think of people in other lands as being strange or different or as “the enemy,” we should recall the questions the prophet Malachi asked: “Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another?” (Mal. 2: 10). All people, regardless of language barriers and racial and cultural differences, have the same hopes and fears, the same challenges and aspirations, the same need for love, care, compassion and understanding. We are alike in so many ways. Surely we can work together for peace!

Hurting world

Our world is full of hurting families and countries torn apart by war and violence. Nearly 2 billion people, about one-third of the world’s population, live in countries with conflict, violence, terroism or fragile internal systems, according to the World Bank. These are places with the greatest humanitarian needs, where children, families, and communities struggle to acquire the basic necessities of life. It can be difficult to know how to help people in need.

One of my most abiding wishes and prayers that I say daily is, "we all live in peace together." I light one of my daily candles for that prayer to come true constantly. We have seen what peace can do for people in Northern Ireland. But you only have to watch the news or read the papers to find conflict and suffering in every corner of our world. Through prayer, we can “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). Pray with me this week for peace for fragile countries and conflict zones in our world and for children and families living through difficult times in places like Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan,Yemen, Ethiopia and many other places in the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Real leadership needed

The causes of this unrest and lack of peace may seem complex, but I believe the root of much of it is one group trying to impose its will on another. The motives may be political, religious, greed, terroism or racism, but it amounts to the same thing. One group sees itself as 'right' and others as 'wrong'. Religion and politics are often used to justify such claims. Another thing I often think to myself is that it is ironic that the objective of war is to create Peace!  In order to have a better, more peaceful world we must learn to think of the globe as a whole.

Our world leaders need to be more selfless and sacrificing. Only by having a universal, peaceful and spiritual vision can we bring positive change into the political and world field. A person who is really interested in making positive changes will never resort to violence to effect political reform. The approach has to be nonviolent and peaceful. Anything achieved through violence will not last long; it will leave an enemy sitting somewhere plotting against you. If instead, you make a friend, you need not be afraid of the other person; and he or she need not be afraid of you. Permanent peace can never be achieved by violent means.

Remember, there is no power higher than love. Hatred breeds hatred; violence breeds violence. If we sincerely want world peace, we have to depend on our soul force, not on anything else. When our efforts fail, when we have nothing else, then we think of a Higher Power and turn to that force. And that is what soul force is and that is also what prayer is all about. Mahatma Gandhi was a great example of this principle. He demonstrated that, by being a peaceful activist and trusting in soul and prayer power, one could liberate an entire country. That is how India gained her independence. Mahatma Gandhi, U Thant, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others were great humanitarians in public life. We need more people like these to lead and inspire.  Many times we wonder, is finding peace in the midst of all that is happening in our world at present even possible? One quote reminds us, “Peace. It doesn't mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” Another says, "No God, no peace. Know God, know peace." And both are true. 

Place of refuge

Without knowing the perfect peace and calm assurance of God Himself in this crazy, mixed up and sometimes very evil world, we will live forever struggling to gain control, always finding ourselves in the inner battle with stress, anxiety and evil. Yet focusing on God’s words can bring life to our souls, no matter what swirls around us on any given day. He is able to bring security, so we're not overcome with fear, or find ourselves sinking down into a pit of worry and despair. He's the answer to our place of refuge. We can never fully escape all the mess this world may bring to our lives or our way at times. We sometimes live in a fallen, broken and evil place.

But in the midst of what life deals us, we can remain steadfast and strong by living a peace-filled life which comes down to a choice. Choosing to come to God in prayer and to believe that He's always with us and in control, choosing to set our thoughts on those things that are good, kind, just, caring, loving, compassionate, forgiving, merciful, true and right. You see, the peace God offers is vastly different from getting away from it all on holidays and escaping our environment and place of work. It's lasting. Confidence. Real. Breathing deep reassurance in the midst of all that we face whether it is past, present, or future. Rising up against the fear that would seek to choke our lives. Bringing comfort and freedom. God's words give strength, purpose and grace. They alone are what can bring inner calm at times to a whirlwind crazy mindless and evil world. As usual a story from my Nana Scully's prayer book might help to explain.

The meaning of peace

"There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. When the entries were in, the King looked at all the pictures. There were only two he really liked. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, with four peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains too, but these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. It did not look peaceful at all. However, when the King looked, he saw a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock behind the waterfall. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest, perfectly at peace.

The King chose the second picture, because, he said, “Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace." We often look at the outside world and find it in a state of chaos and disorder. We cannot bring to the world that which we do not have to offer. Peace starts in our own minds and heart, and until its roots are firmly entrenched in our own selves, we cannot manifest it externally. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.’

We want peace

Most of us who live in our world today want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers. May we always dedicate ourselves prayerfully and actively to banishing violence from our hearts, words and deeds, and to becoming nonviolent people and to building nonviolent communities that care for our common home. Every human being desires communion and peace. Everyone needs peaceful co-existence. But this can grow only when we also build inner peace in our hearts and then share with everyone we meet. Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Everyone can be a peacemaker.

Peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold. Peace is reverence and respect for all life. Peace is the most precious possession of humanity. Peace is more than the end of armed conflict. Peace is a mode of behaviour. Peace is a deep-rooted commitment to the principles of liberty, justice, equality and solidarity among all human beings. Peace is also a harmonious partnership of humankind with the environment. Peace is above all that of respect for human life in all its many aspects. I pray that all of us will put working at peace to the forefront of our lives for the betterment of the lives of our children and their children because if we don't God only knows what type of evil world will befall them.

Human fraternity

Recently we have also seen a surge in various forms of nationalism, racism, hate, xenophobia, wars and conflicts that bring only death and destruction in their wake. These and other events that marked humanity’s path these past few years have taught us how important it is to care for one another and for creation in our efforts to build a more fraternal society. We who are here together and in peace believe and hope in a fraternal world. We desire that men and women of different religions and none may everywhere gather and promote harmony, especially where there is conflict. Our future consists in living together.

For this reason we are called to free ourselves from the heavy burdens of distrust, fundamentalism and hate. Believers should be makers of peace in their prayers to God and in their actions for humanity! A fraternal society of care as a way to combat the culture of indifference, waste and confrontation so prevalent in our time. We can no longer think exclusively of carving out space for our personal or national interests; instead, we must think in terms of the common good, recognizing that we belong to a greater community, and opening our minds and hearts to universal human fraternity. We cannot continue to focus simply on preserving ourselves; rather, the time has come for all of us to endeavour to heal our communities, to lay the foundations for a more just and peaceful world, and to commit ourselves seriously to pursuing a good that is truly common.

In order to do this, and to live better lives we cannot ignore one fundamental fact, namely that the many moral, social, political and economic crises we are experiencing are all interconnected, and what we see as isolated problems are actually causes and effects of one another. Consequently, we are called to confront the challenges of our world in a spirit of responsibility, fraternity, community and compassion. We must promote actions that enhance peace and put an end to the conflicts and wars that continue to cause poverty, abandonment and death. We urgently need to join in caring for our common home and in implementing clear and effective measures to combat climate change. We need to battle the virus of inequality and to ensure food, water, shelter and dignified labour for all, supporting those who lack even a minimum wage and find themselves in great difficulty. The scandal of entire peoples starving remains an open wound in all our world. We also need to develop suitable policies for welcoming and integrating migrants and those whom our societies discard such as our own homeless people and families.

Only by responding generously to these situations, with an altruism inspired by God’s infinite and merciful love, will we be able to build a new world which is a world of love, justice and peace. Each of us, men and women of this time, is called to make peace happen, each one of us, we are not indifferent to this. We are called to make peace happen each day and in every place we live.

This peace must begin with us; we must be at peace inside, in our hearts and with ourselves, and with those who are near us. Peace, is a gift from God, which must be implored from God with incessant prayer, sustained with patient and respectful dialogue, constructed with an open collaboration with truth and justice and always attentive to the legitimate aspirations of individuals and peoples. They alone are what can bring inner calm and peace at times to a whirlwind crazy mindless and evil world.

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, look at ways you can bring real, lasting and genuine peace into your own life and the lives of those around you. If peace is what you seek, focus your thoughts on this Prayer for Peace by Jackie Trottmann - "Dear God, I need your peace now. Silence my thoughts of confusion. Silence my thoughts of anxiety. Silence my thoughts of grief or despair. Silence my thoughts of hurt or anger. When there is chaos and turmoil surrounding me, shelter and protect me with your peace and loving, powerful presence. As I take this time to stop and pray, fill me with your peaceful presence. With each breath I take, I breathe in your peace that surpasses all understanding. Help me to focus on peace instead of unrest. I surrender my unrest to you so that I may receive peace. Help me to be a spark that ignites peace in others. Amen". 

And finally my own favourite prayer for peace,   Dear Lord, Our world waits in darkness longing for Your light. In the midst of darkness, enkindle our hope. As we long for lasting peace in the midst of war and terrorism, Be with us. As we long for families to be reunited, Be with us. As we long for homeless and abandoned people in our communities to be cared for, Be with us. As we long for enemies to be reconciled, Be with us. As we long for cures and healings, Be with us. As we long for decent jobs, decent homes and shelter and economic security, Be with us. As we long for love and community, Be with us. Fulfill the deepest longings of your people and Dispel the darkness in our hearts and in our world. Let your Word ignite the hope the world needs to bring to life your love and justice. May the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the 'Prince of Peace' (Is 9:6), and who cuddles him thus, with such tenderness in her arms, obtain for us from heaven the precious gift of peace. Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Amen