Wednesday 24th September
As we continue to journey from peace to nonviolence over these 12 days, I am challenged by how easily I pray to God to bring peace to the world and not as much for the hands (including my own) to build that peace. My reflections bring to mind this verse from Ephesians:
God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)
Dear Loving God,
As I give thanks this morning for a new day,
I am aware that for many this new day may be filled with fear, with anger, with loneliness, with pain.
And for far too many – filled with terror and death and grief.
I pray for your Spirit to continue to move me with compassion to act and to comfort.
I pray for your Spirit to continue to strengthen me to engage with the pain of the world and to stand in solidarity with those being persecuted, violated or living lives with no dignity or care.
I pray for your Spirit to continue to fill me with fire to play my part in working for justice and peace
I pray for your Spirit to continue to give me courage to dialogue with those who fuel violence, fear and division. May I listen to truly understand, and speak in a way that helps me be heard and understood.
I pray for your Spirit to follow in Jesus’ nonviolent footsteps – that I may work for change proactively, creatively, compassionately, and be able to courageously discern how best to challenge violent attitudes, behaviour and systems and still seek to see and the sacred in the ‘other’ (and myself) and work for the good of all.
I pray for your Spirit to continue to give me the humility to know when to rest.
I pray for your Spirit to help me live a life overflowing with your love in the midst of these extraordinary and dangerous times.
And I pray for your Spirit to continue to challenge and remind me that if I seek to be a peacemaker, I must start with myself and strive to daily be a person of peace.
As I give thanks this morning, I am grateful for your Spirit of hope ….
That these times that can bring me to my knees in despair, can also give seed to many more people of peace working together for a more peaceful, loving and inclusive world.
Thank you loving God for your extravagant love that can transform lives, relationships and society.
May your peace, love and hope prevail today, tomorrow, and always.
Amen
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Monday 22nd September
"Peace is not a line we cross.
It is a choice we make."
~ Maryam Bukar Hassan
As I reflect for our 'Journey from Peace to Nonviolence' series today, I share the words of UN Global Advocate for Peace Maryam Bukar Hassan calling on everyone to stand for peace. Her words deeply resonate with me as filled with hope, invitation and also challenge.
In a world increasingly polarised and violent, I pray they resonate with you too....
Watch Peace is a Verb Video
Peace and Blessings
Carolyn
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Sunday 21st September
This theme elicits an array of reactions and responses within me. First and foremost, a resounding yes! This theme is a rallying cry to action at a time when the world is rapidly deteriorating against so many measures of peace, justice and inclusion, let alone when we turn our attention to the man-made climate change emergency that threatens the planet on which we and every other species live. We urgently need to turn things around …. Never has there been a greater need for collective action to do so. But, how?
What actions would make a difference? What can I do as one person? Maybe these are questions you also ask yourself. How easy it is to feel frustration or despair when we hear the news today….climate change, polarisation, erosion of trust, cost of living, rise of fascism, Gaza, Sudan, DRC (to name just the tip of the iceberg of global conflict) and increasing violence – direct, structural and cultural ….it can be overwhelming and make us feel helpless in making a difference.
The nonviolent activist, Dorothy Day once spoke of this tendency in her book “The Long Loneliness”: “Nobody has the right to sit down and despair. There is too much work to do. ” And although, I am a firm advocate for all of us to take adequate rest and do those things that restore our bodies, minds and souls – there is a truth in these words that resonates with me. Despair allows violence and fear-mongering to rise without challenge – despair says violence and fear have won.
However, over the years of working in places of despair – whether from mass violence, extreme poverty, or violent repression – I have learned that such times can also elicit something else. The extraordinary nature of such times can impel us to choose which way we want to go in the world. There can be no sitting on the fence. Will we, through picking up arms (be it literally, through our words and attitudes or through social media) or by passivity allow violence, division and destruction to flourish? Or will we be courageous and despite our natural feelings of despair and fear, enable a phoenix of hope to rise up in the way we speak out against violence, injustice, hateful ideologies, discrimination, poverty, war and inequality…acting instead in ways that increase justice, peace and inclusion in our world?
So, on this international day of peace, I invite you to join me in finding ways each day to grow peace, justice and love in the world. Maybe through genuine dialogue and the everyday conversations we have, or community strengthening, or writing, advocating and training on issues of peace and justice.
Individually one person's efforts may not change the world, but I pray they may just change the world for someone else, particularly for those who are excluded, discriminated against, or living lives plagued by poverty, indignity or war/genocide. And who knows what may be possible if more and more commit ourselves to act now for a peaceful world.
And if you are interested, please join me as I share some further reflections from The Ammerdown Centre over the next 12 days as we journey from the International Day of Peace to the International Day of Nonviolence on the 2nd October... and beyond.
Peace and Blessings
Carolyn
