Blessings of peace to all of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Today, we gather under the watchful gaze of the Lord, who calls us to be His hands and feet in a world that groans under the weight of suffering, injustice, and despair. We are called to be light in the darkness, hope in the midst of sorrow, and builders of peace where violence reigns.
Let us first turn our hearts to the scourge of violence in our schools, where the innocent—children entrusted to us by God—are cut down in places meant to nurture wisdom and joy. The recent tragedy in Austria, where lives were stolen by hatred and despair, is but one wound in a world bleeding from countless acts of senseless brutality. The Lord tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9). But what does it mean to be a peacemaker in such a world? It means more than mourning the lost—it means dismantling the roots of violence: the isolation, the rage, the systems that fail our youth. It means building communities where no child feels so abandoned that they turn to destruction. Imagine, dear brothers and sisters, a world where every classroom is a sanctuary of love, where teachers and parents work hand in hand to heal, not merely instruct. This is the Kingdom we must labor for.
And yet, even as we grieve lives lost, we must also grieve the lives never born—the children who are never conceived because the world has grown cold to the sacred gift of life. The UN warns of an "unprecedented decline" in fertility, not because humanity has rejected parenthood, but because so many are denied the chance to welcome the children they long for. "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him" (Psalm 127:3). But how can this reward flourish when economic despair, war, and injustice choke the hope of families? We must be a Church that does not merely preach the sanctity of life but ensures that parents are supported, that mothers are cherished, that no couple is crushed by the weight of an uncaring world.
And what of those who suffer under the boot of oppression? The Scriptures command us: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute" (Proverbs 31:8). The sanctions placed on far-right ministers in Israel remind us that the cries of the Palestinian people—and all who suffer under occupation, war, and hatred—must not be ignored. Solidarity is not a political stance; it is a Gospel imperative. The early Church knew this well—Saint Barnabas, whose name means "son of encouragement," stood with the persecuted, selling his possessions to feed the needy (Acts 4:36-37). We, too, must be sons and daughters of encouragement, lifting up the downtrodden, demanding justice where it is denied.
Yet, even as we labor for these great causes, we must not ignore the fractures within our own Church. One of the gravest wounds we face is the exodus of the young, who turn away from the faith, disillusioned by hypocrisy, scandal, or a Church that seems indifferent to their struggles. We cannot preach hope to the world if we fail to inspire it in our own homes. I call upon every one of you—parents, priests, teachers—to rebuild trust, to listen to the doubts of the young, to show them a Church that is not a fortress of judgment but a field hospital for the wounded.
Brothers and sisters, the path before us is clear. If we answer the call—if we become peacemakers, defenders of life, voices for the oppressed—then we will see a new dawn. But if we remain silent, if we turn away, then the shadows will deepen. Wars will multiply, families will fracture, and the Church will wither into irrelevance. The choice is ours.
Let us rise, then, not in fear, but in faith—for the Lord walks with us. Let us build a world where schools are havens, where every child is welcomed as a blessing, where no one suffers alone. Let us be the light that scatters the darkness.
Amen.
What can we do?
Violence in Schools
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