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Shaping Peace Together

  • Leela Ramdeen

Many thanks to Leela Ramdeen who has sent us this reflection for today's International Day of Peace.

"The world must be educated to love Peace, to build it up and defend it." (Pope Paul VI)

Our world is yearning for peace. The theme for International Day of Peace today is: Shaping Peace Together. The UN urges us to "celebrate the day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the pandemic."

The UN General Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has said that "while governments have primary responsibility for peace building and sustaining peace, we can all do more to build peaceful and resilient societies."

As long as there are grave injustices in the world there will never be peace. Let us all commit to playing our part to be artisans of peace/to be builders of peace; to be the voice for the voiceless; to believe that world peace is possible.

Today, let's engage in some introspection. Non-violence and peace begin with each of us. The Dalai Lama is right: "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves." Or, as Pope Francis has said: "Before speaking of peace, make sure your own heart is at peace."

Peace is an ongoing gift from God, but as God's instruments on this earth, we have a responsibility to build peace. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God." (Matthew 5:9).

Peace will not be achieved if we remain in our comfort zones and fail to take action. Peace-making is an active process. Pope Francis states: "We must cultivate peace daily, with our own hands, so that it spreads to the rest of our suffering world." (16 Feb 2017). Archbishop Desmond Tutu rightly said: "Do your little bit of good where you are. It's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."

Peace will be built by promoting right relationships - with God, our neighbour, Creation and self. Reflect on your relationships within your family. As Archbishop Jason Gordon has said: "Artisans of peace relate to others in a way of peace and non-violence, not just in the family but also in the school, church and workplace. To build peace in our nation, we all need to work tirelessly at reforming how we communicate and relate with each other...Peace is either peace for all or it is not at all."

Only love will open our hearts and minds to embrace our fraternal connections. St Teresa of Calcutta was right: "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." God created us to live in peace and harmony with each other and with His Creation. Today, climate change is due in part to the actions of us human beings. We continue to destroy our environment with impunity. Self-discipline and neighbourliness are required to build peace.

Too often people shout about their rights, but forget their responsibilities. Pope Benedict XVI has said to us: "Our earth speaks to us, and we must listen if we want to survive." Are we listening?

This year Pope Francis' Message for the 53rd World Day of Peace on January 1, 2020 was entitled 'Peace as a journey of hope: dialogue, reconciliation and ecological conversion'. He said we need to change the way we think and see things, and to become more open to encountering others and accepting the gift of creation, which reflects the beauty and wisdom of its Creator" Peace, he says, is "a great and precious value, the object of our hope and the aspiration of the entire human family".

Conflict, he says, "often begins with the inability to accept the diversity of others, which then fosters attitudes of aggrandizement and domination born of selfishness and pride, hatred and the desire to caricature, exclude and even destroy the other." He says that recognising each other as neighbours is the path to peace, and that "there can be no true peace unless we show ourselves capable of developing a more just economic system."

This is in keeping with Pope Paul VI's statement: "If you want peace, work for justice."

Today there are countless wars/armed conflict being waged across the world. Global military expenditure stood at US$1.92 trillion (1,920 billion) in 2019, while thousands of citizens in our world are dying daily of hunger. Some nations continue to build nuclear weapons and weapons of destruction in the hope of maintaining peace.

Pope Francis asks us to reject "the false sense of security sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust. Mistrust and fear weaken relationships and increase the risk of violence, creating a vicious circle that can never lead to a relationship of peace. Even nuclear deterrence can only produce the illusion of security… Every war is a form of fratricide that destroys the human family's innate vocation to brotherhood/sisterhood…The desire for peace lies deep within the human heart, and we should not resign ourselves to seeking anything less than this...Peace 'must be built up continually; it is a journey made together in constant pursuit of the common good, truthfulness and respect for law. Listening to one another can lead to mutual understanding and esteem, and even to seeing in an enemy the face of a brother or sister. The peace process thus requires enduring commitment."

He says that in order to establish peace, nations must learn to resolve conflicts through dialogue, and must undergo an "ecological conversion" to protect the environment and foster recognition of our shared humanity. "Violene is not the cure for our broken world."

The UN rightly states that "there is more to peace than putting aside arms. True peace depends on societies being inclusive, healthy and economically stable. It requires a predictable climate, an unpolluted environment and solidarity across community lines."

There are too many power games being played in our world, and these are obstacles to peace. Jimi Hendrix was right when he said: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Here in Trinidad and Tobago, peace remains a forlorn dream. There are many obstacles to peace in our country, including tribalism - as can be seen from our recent bruising election campaign.

Politics must also be at the service of peace. There can be no peace when there is so much poverty and social exclusion. If there is no equity, equality, distributive justice, or mutual respect, there will be no peace.

Xenophobia towards migrants and refugees in our beloved country is also on the rise. Pope Francis urges us to welcome, protecting, promote, and integrate migrants and refugees. Many have come to our shores seeking peace.

Pope Francis has said: "Today more than ever, our societies need 'artisans of peace' who can be messengers and authentic witnesses of God the Father, who want the good and the happiness of the human family." We know that there is no quick fix. But let us not stand on the side lines and wait for others to build peace; let us realise that you and I can make a difference; we can be agents of change; we can help to address the causes of conflict and be facilitators of "healing and restoration"

US Bishops: Let us never tire of working for a more just and peaceful world, marked by solidarity and love.

May the Lord inspire us with wisdom and courage to work for lasting peace.

I pray, let there be peace,

Lord, and let it begin with me.

Leela Ramdeen is Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, (CCSJ) and Director of CREDI. Last week she was awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Francis.

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