From the Parish House

It is heart breaking to watch the violence unfolding in the Middle East.  It is particularly distressing to see images of innocent women, men and children suffering death or life threatening injuries.  No immediate answer to ending the violence seems apparent.  We can only hope and pray that somewhere along the line political, diplomatic negotiations can take place and a (new) peace be established.

Every time violence erupts in the world it reminds us that sadly, human beings are capable of enormous destruction and death.  We should remember that human beings are also capable of incredible creativity, ingenuity and life.  We are fraught beings indeed.

I was recently involved in a discussion with a group of friends who were asking what response we should make, as a society, to the violence that we were seeing in some of our local neighbourhoods.  One of the more learned and wise members of our group suggested that the starting point for a response needs to happen a long time before the violence occurs.  In other words, we cannot begin to address violence only on the day that a shot is fired or a knife is drawn.  That moment had probably been brewing for some time.  Preventative action and early intervention is the best remedy to violence.  Ensuring that all children have access to education; ensuring that discriminatory attitudes, and actions are addressed early and often; eliminating structural injustices and power imbalances in local communities; developing methods of dialogue that do not allow communities to simply avoid, stereotype or ignore one another.  These actions, among many others, are the preventative bedrock and antidote to violence.  No human community should be complacent in thinking that they are immune to human violence nor to the fact that we all have a roll to play in working against it.

Back to the Middle East.  We should join the global community in urging all parties to move to peaceful resolution.  As Christians we will turn to prayer.  For it is in prayer that we know that our God stirs the hearts of those who are open to the promptings of the spirit.  As the second Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation says:

For though the human race is divided by dissension and discord,
yet we know that by testing us you change our hearts to prepare them for reconciliation.
Even more, by your Spirit you move human hearts that enemies may speak to each other again,
adversaries may join hands, and peoples seek to meet together.
By the working of your power it comes about, O Lord, that hatred is overcome by love,
revenge gives way to forgiveness, and discord is changed to mutual respect.

This week we are reopening our Parish Virtual Prayer Wall.  We invite you to join with us in praying that hearts may change and peace may reign.  Our prayer wall is available to all and at all times.  We invite you particularly on Monday, 7 October to add your prayer for peace to this wall.

By Fr Brendan 

Published: 4 October 2024