True Peace
Peace, peace, peace...... where can we find true peace? ... Why has so many 'Peace Attempts' failed in resolving issues between warring factions?...... Is world peace an illusion? ..The key to true peace begins with self...... attaining true peace should begin with me........ Living in peace with self and each other is an echo of the famous Prayer of St Francis of Assisi who was one of the many  great imitators of the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was Jesus who taught us how to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, feed the hungry, clothe the naked.....who though he was God did not cling to his Divinity but emptied himself and took on the nature of slave even unto death, death on a cross though sinless. He demonstrated forgiveness on his deathbed - the cross, as he prayed for those who crucified him .... Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing........He came and gave his life as a ransom for many....... by His death we have all been saved .......whether we accept  or believe that Jesus is our Saviour....You and I have been bought at a Price !.

Subsequently, we can dare to pray as Jesus taught us through His life and death.............
Lord make us an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow your love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy
Oh Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;/
To be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying tat we are born to eternal life.

If these become rooted in our lives then we can each become an agent of Peace, ...starting with the self. Each day ask yourself how can I be an agent of peace today  in my home, at work, in my Church community, in my neighbourhood?, and look for opportunities to be such an agent. .

We cannot talk about peace in a vacuum and no gun can bring a lasting peace. Peace needs to begin in the heart of each individual, then there will be no strangers but friends not yet met..............no enemies but brothers and sisters because Jesus our big Brother, through His death and resurrection has reconciled us with God our Father. In his farewell Discourses, He gave us a.o.: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your let your hearts be troubled or afraid........... (Jh 14: 37)

True peace is not the absence of war but the ability to sleep through the storm.... the ability to remain focused in the midst of chaos......... the ability to hope and trust in the face of despair........ the ability to love the enemy who hates you........Since the Peace of God surpasses every understanding that is why Jesus, the Prince of Peace,  is the key to True lasting Peace  through each person starting with self, to the world.  ....the world in which you and I live. .... Each person therefore,  is a gateway to peace........ and since peace is a gift from God, each one of us has the seed of peace ingrained in  our hearts,... germinating/growing slowly.... depending on how it is nourished..........  Hate, anger, jealousy, unforgiveness........ can choke it's growth... while love, joy, patience, kindness,   ...... can enhance its growth.

Therefore let us allow the True Peace of Christ to flourish ,,,,,, in our hearts....... flowing like a river.... flowing out of you and me..... flowing out into the desert, setting the captives free...... Let it flow through me.... let it flow through you ..... let the peace of God flow out through us.........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..