The foundation to establish peace is submission to the will of God..
Repeated prophecies about the coming of a Messiah abounds in the sacred writings. But these prophesies were shrouded in obscurity. A clear picture of the Messiah is given in about 700BC by prophet Mica. We listened to his description in the First reading.
The Messiah is a man like us. He will be born in Bethlehem, and he will bring peace. He will restore harmony in nature, harmony among creatures, harmony between man and man, and harmony between God and man.
How will peace and harmony be restored? It is not by sacrifice, neither by holocausts but by submission to the will of God. St Paul in his letter to Hebrews postulates it. "God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will." This is the new law established by Jesus; obey the command of God. The one who does it will be hailed by ages. Mother Mary submitted herself to the will of God, so Elizabeth called her "Blessed are you among women." And the whole world for the last 2000 years has been hailing her as "Blessed." This is the theme of the today's Gospel.
Whenever harmony among men ; harmony between God and man was lost God sent his messengers to restore peace and harmony. That mission is continued even today. Today we are the chosen instruments to bring peace to the world.
Any attempt to bring peace is held in very high esteem. The Nobel prize is awarded as a recognition of an individual's endeavour to establish peace. Volunteers enroll themselves in the National and International organizations to bring peace to the world. Yet peace remains a mirage, because most of our attempts are like building castles on the sand. Devoid of a strong foundation, they collapse. Today's second reading , the letter of St Paul and the Gospel affirm that the foundation to attain peace is submission to the will of God.
On the morning of the 4th of December 1982 in Melbourne (Australia) Nick Vujicic was born. His parents were shocked because their first born had neither hands nor legs. A baby boy without legs and hands. It took a number of months of tears, questions and grief before they were able to come to terms within their own hearts. Nick grew up with the support of his parents and gained strength to challenge his own destiny. Now young and he has a Bachelor's degree in Commerce. He is also a motivational speaker and loves to go out and share his story with others. In his speeches he emphasizes that God has a plan, and we must accept the plan of God and submit to the will of God. These words come from a man who does not have hands and legs. That makes it all the more meaningful.
St Francis of Assisi is recognized as "a man of peace". His message revolutionized Assisi and spread to the ends of Italy and to the whole Christendom. The call of Gandhiji to give up violence and love peace crossed the boundaries of India, and worked miracle in Mont Gomery (America), through Martin Luther King.
How did these small men achieve great success? Only by listening to the call of God and with the unconditional response, "Here am I lord to do thy will." That was the prayer of Jesus through out his life, even at the last moments in Gethsemane and Calvary, "O father, let Thy will be done."
But our prayer often happens to be "Lord let thy will be done in heaven, and let my will be done here on earth."
Everywhere we want our ideas to be accepted, we want everyone to recognize us, we expect everyone to behave as we want them to, we desire everyone to think as we want them to. So there arises disagreement and discontent. They proliferate from individual to the family, from family to the society, from society to the nation, and from the nation to the international level. Harmony gives way to chaos. We try to avoid those who do not agree with us. Some try to annihilate those, who do not agree with them. It gives rise to bloodshed and homicide.
Dear brothers and sisters, we may not be able to establish peace in the Middle East. We may not be able to bring peace to Vietnam. We may not be able to set peace between China and Myanmar. But we can exert our influence around us, in our work place, and in our society. We should remember that:
"Little drops make an ocean."
Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the beauteous land
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the beauteous land
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above
And the little moments,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages.
Of eternity.
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages.
Of eternity.
Mrs. J. A. Carney
When you feel angry with your friend, do not express it. Hold it for a moment. When you feel like shouting at your neighbour, delay it by a breath. Before you point your finger at your co-worker wait for a second. And these fractions of seconds will transform you into men and women of peace.
Let us pray with St Francis, "Lord make me the instrument of your peace."
Then we will be ready to welcome Jesus into our silent, holy hearts where all is calm.
Satish