Become instrument of peace!

Become instrument of peace!
by Fr. Bernard Holzer, AA
It was 60 years ago, on January 4, 1964, for the first time in history, a pope, successor of St. Peter, set foot on the native soil of Jesus of Nazareth.

It was during the Second Vatican Council. Pope Paul VI wanted to be a messenger of peace:

"To all of you We say: call with Us, with your wishes and prayers, for concord and peace on this Earth, unique in the world, which God has visited. Let us ask here together for the grace of a true and profound fraternity, among all men, among all peoples. »

 Angeli

Sixty years later, Pope Francis sends the same message, again on the feast of the Epiphany, January 6: “Let us pray for peace, for peace in the Middle East, in Palestine, in Israel, in Ukraine, all over the world. So many victims of war, so many deaths, so much destruction… Let us pray for peace. »

 

Two days later, on January 8, in his address to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis vigorously recalled the horrors of all wars:

“Perhaps we need to realize more clearly that civilian victims are not “collateral damage”, but men and woman, with names and surnames, who lose their lives. They are children who are orphaned and deprived of their future. They are individuals who suffer from hunger, thirst and cold, or are mutilated as an effect of the power of modern explosives. Were we to be able to look each of them in the eye, call them by name, and learn something of their personal history, we would see war for what it is: nothing other than an immense tragedy, a “useless slaughter”, one that offends the dignity of every person on this earth.”

 

What a constancy, reminding us that we urgently need to become instruments of peace in our families, our communities, our places of life and work, in our country.

 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

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