Gathering Song: Let There Be Peace on Earth, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace or another
peace song of your choosing.
A reading from the works of the German poet, Johann Goethe
I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration; I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become what they are capable of becoming.
Psalm 72 – from God Is Here, Let’s Celebrate – Leslie Brandt
O God of love, grant to your servants the grace to represent you effectively in our discordant world. Give us the courage to put our lives on the line in communicating life and truth to all your creatures wherever they may be found.
Where there is injustice, may we diagnose its cause and discover its cure. Where there is bigotry, teach us how to love and how to encourage others to love. Where there is poverty, help us to share the wealth that has come from your hand. Where there is war and violence, may we be peacemakers who lead all to your eternal peace.
Forbid, O God, that we be deaf to the cries of the poor and indifferent to those who have needs. May we identify with those who are oppressed and help to bear the burdens of those who suffer about us. May we hear your voice of concern and feel your loving touch through your servants who are in this world to manifest you to those about them.
Spontaneous prayers for persons, countries, or situations where some kind of healing or reconciliation is
needed, where justice and peace need to be found or restored.
Closing blessing for each other:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships
so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done to bring justice and kindness to all.
- A Franciscan benediction from Prayer by Philip Yancey
(Reflection and ideas for action below.)
The United Nations General Assembly declared September 21 to be the International Day of Peace. It is to be observed as a day of global cease-fire and nonviolence. The United Nations has invited all Member States, organizations and individuals to commemorate the day in an appropriate manner, including through education and public awareness.
While it is good that, on at least one day, attention is focused on the need to promote and acknowledge efforts toward peace, we all know that a one-day focus won’t solve the problems. According to a variety of sources, there are 11 to 15 major conflicts between countries or between factions within countries in the world today. Many of those conflicts have to do with power and domination and greed.
Although we may believe that we personally can’t resolve those major conflicts, there is also the more “quiet” violence of racism, poverty, hunger, ignorance and fear over which we can have a significant impact. Where does one begin to make peace? The challenge is to be peacemakers in our own situations, beginning within our own hearts. Peacemaking involves, first of all, an evolving change of one’s own attitude and mindset and the determination to act on that change for the good of others.
A few ideas to ‘prime the pump’:
- A Season of Nonviolence – www.agnt.org/snv02.htm
- 64 ways to work for peace – e.g, I will practice praise rather than criticism; I will take time to appreciate the people who provide me with challenges in my life, especially those who make me angry or frustrated; I will listen without defending and speak without judgment; I will be open to other ways of thinking and acting that are different from my own.
- Institute for Peace and Justice – www.ipj-ppj.org
- peace resources for teachers, catechists, social ministry, religious communities, families
- Nonviolent Peace Force – www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org
- unarmed peace-keeping force composed of trained civilians applying nonviolent strategies to protect human rights and deter violence
- Peace Bonds – a gift with a message!
Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by Christ Jesus.
- The Challenge of Peace, Par. 333
- Prepared by Sister Jeanne Wingenter, SSND
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