Blessings of peace, mercy, and the love of Christ to all of you, my dear brothers and sisters in faith.
Today, we gather under the gaze of the Almighty, who calls us to be instruments of His peace in a world torn by violence, suffering, and moral decay. We remember the words of our Lord: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9). Yet, as we look upon the Holy Land, where blood spills upon sacred ground, where the cries of the innocent rise to heaven, we must ask ourselves—are we truly peacemakers? Or have we grown complacent in the face of endless conflict?
In Gaza, in Syria, and in countless unseen corners of the earth, the children of God perish—not only by the sword but by our silence. The Bedouin and the Druze, the Israeli and the Palestinian—all are made in the image of God, yet hatred divides them. How long will we allow the cycle of vengeance to turn? How long will we avert our eyes from the suffering of our brothers and sisters?
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, a man of both prayer and action, once stood as a mediator in war, proving that faith must never be passive. He understood that true peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of justice, mercy, and reconciliation. If we, the followers of Christ, do not rise to this holy task, who will?
But violence is not the only scourge upon our world. Persecution, too, darkens the earth. The Apostle Paul urges us: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:14). Yet how difficult this commandment seems when faced with the brutality of our age! Still, we must not answer hatred with hatred, for that is the way of the world, not the way of the Cross. Instead, we must be the light that dispels the darkness—through prayer, through advocacy, through the relentless pursuit of justice.
And what of our own conduct, my brothers and sisters? The world watches us, not only in our grand gestures but in our smallest actions. The fall of a leader, undone by moral failure, reminds us of the warning in Proverbs: "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity" (Proverbs 11:3). The Church herself is not immune to scandal, to hypocrisy, to the sins of her members. Too often, the faithful have been wounded by those who should have been their shepherds. This is a wound we must heal—not with words alone, but with transparency, repentance, and a renewed commitment to holiness.
Imagine, dear friends, a world where Christians truly lived as Christ commanded—where peacemakers bridged divides, where the persecuted were defended, where leaders walked in integrity. This is not a fantasy—it is the Kingdom of God breaking into our broken world. But it will not come without struggle, without sacrifice.
And if we fail? If we turn away from this sacred duty? Then the violence will spread like wildfire. The persecuted will cry out, and heaven will demand an account. Nations will crumble under the weight of their own corruption, and the Church will wither into irrelevance. This is not the future we are called to accept.
So rise, my brothers and sisters! Rise as peacemakers, as defenders of the oppressed, as beacons of moral courage. Let us rebuild the Church not with stones, but with saints—with men and women who refuse to let evil have the last word. The hour is late, but the grace of God is abundant. Let us not waste it.
Amen.
What can we do?
In a world marked by violence, suffering, and moral failings, each of us has the power to make a difference through small, deliberate actions. Here’s how we can contribute in practical ways:
Violence and Conflict
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