REFLECTION AS WE PRAY FOR PEACE IN GAZA
Throughout the Catholic Church in Ireland on Sunday 24th August we have being asked to pray for peace in Gaza. There seems to be no real concrete way for the ordinary man in the street to contribute to the peace efforts but that is not true . Here in Northern Ireland we began the journey into our Peace Process then after a lot of hope filled prayer this process began to have results with ceasefires and then on the 22nd May 1998 the Good Friday agreement was signed. I am sure you are asking yourself wherever you are reading this what has this got to do with Gaza and peace there. It has a great deal to do with Gaza and peace because if you do not bring the waring factions and countries together to find some sort of common ground you will have little or nothing you will only continue the war with all its horrible consequences and there will be a day of reckoning for those who did and said nothing.
The reflections of older Germans who lived through the era of Hitler and the Holocaust serve as a sobering reminder. Many questioned their own actions or lack of action during those dark years, asking themselves whether their ignorance was wilful or simply a matter of indifference. The burden of conscience is one they carried to their graves, knowing more could have been said and should have been done. We must consider what our response will be and what future generations will say about our response to the violence that is currently taking place in Gaza. Considering what is going on there currently will we be able to say that we did all we could, that we prayed for peace, and that we rejected the violence and the injustice that is going on all sides? Or will we admit to sympathising with it, justifying it, or simply turning a blind eye saying it doesn’t concern me so why should I bother? As individuals, especially those who identify as Christians, we hold a profound responsibility to be men and women of peace doing all we can to promote and maintain peace. The teachings of Christ emphasise the importance of bringing peace into every home and heart. If peace is not welcomed, it returns to us but it is our duty to continue offering it. The peace of Christ spreads only through our personal willingness to accept and share it. This is the vocation of every believer: to regard all people as brothers and sisters, reconciled through Christ who sacrificed himself for the world on the cross.
The real question for us a we pray for peace in Gaza is can we move out of our comfortable lives and say what needs to be said and do what we has to be done for the powerless masses of people in Gaza who face injustice and war everyday. In praying and working for peace we may have to suffer in some way because we profess the name of Jesus. It could simply be that we will be ignored by many people dismissed by those who consider themselves more worldly wise. But we take courage from those on the margins who, in the footsteps of Jesus have challenged the structures of intolerance and war. Ultimately, our responsibility and our call is clear: to be people of peace, to reject violence, and to live the values of the Gospel in our lives. We must not allow ourselves to become complacent or indifferent to what is going on but instead, we should act as agents of peace and reconciliation wherever we are. In doing so, we contribute to the possibility of peace in our communities and across the world. Recently the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said the pain and dismay at what is happening is great. Once again we find ourselves in the midst of a political and military crisis. We have suddenly been catapulted into a sea of unprecedented violence. The hatred, which we have unfortunately already been experiencing for too long, will increase even more, and the ensuing spiral of violence will create more destruction. Everything seems to speak of death. Yet, in this time of sorrow and dismay, we do not want to remain helpless. We cannot let death and its sting (1 Cor 15:55) be the only word we hear. That is why we feel the need to pray, to turn our hearts to God the Father. Only in this way we can draw the strength and serenity needed to endure these hard times, by turning to Him, in prayer and intercession, to implore and cry out to God amidst this anguish.
This Sunday we turn to God in prayer for Gaza for the relief of the suffering of its people that those hardened hearts may turn away from the violence and become people of peace. In Down and Connor diocese where I live in Ireland our Bishop issued a pastoral letter suggesting that we might do some of the following during the day of prayer for peace in Gaza Light a candle in your family home or local parish church; attend Mass, spend time before the Blessed Sacrament; pray the Rosary; make some small personal penance or sacrifice, so that the light of hope will radiate out from the island of Ireland for peace, for Gaza and for the future of its people. As we Pray for Gaza and the end of the conflict there we remember all the other conflicts that are ongoing at the moment as we rededicate ourselves to pray for peace in Gaza and the world. We pray that the peace of Christ that passes all understanding will dwell in our hearts and souls so we may see the hope that his call holds for us.
Fullerton T 