“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”

Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?--Saint Gerard Majella: (1726 – 1755): was an Italian lay brother of the Redemptorists, who is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. His intercession is sought for unborn children, women in childbirth, mothers, expectant mothers, & motherhood)

Scripture Text: (IS 11:1-10)

On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.

In 1918, after more than ten million men and women had been killed in World War I, President Woodrow Wilson advocated the need for an international organization to preserve peace and settle disputes by arbitration rather than war. The Constitution of the League of Nations was drawn up. But the U.S. Congress voted not to join the League of Nations.

In 1945, after more millions of men and women had been killed in World War II, representatives of 45 war-weary nations gathered in San Francisco for the noble purpose of bringing peace to the world by organizing the United Nations. Sir Anthony Eden, of Great Britain, in a shattering introduction to this first meeting of the United Nations said, “This may be the world’s last chance.”

Sixteen years later, in 1961, with nuclear war threatening, John F. Kennedy, president of the United States concluded his address to the General Assembly of the same United Nations with the plea: “Together we shall save our planet, or together we shall perish in its flames.” 

Peace in the world is our responsibility. We must use the peace of Christ to create peace in the world. We do this first of all by sharing this peace of Christ with others. The more people there are who share the peace of Christ the greater potential there is for peace in the world. Secondly, if we want peace in the world we have to work for justice. As long as there are grave injustices in the world there will never be peace.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”