How Great Thou Art
Let Peace Begin With Me
Photo By: Flickr/Diamond Moutain
Psalm 11: 4; Psalm 12: 7
“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind....You, O Lord, will protect us; you will guard us from this generation for ever.”
Watching the news can leave you feeling like the world is falling apart at its seams. With all the violence, wars, and persecution of innocent people happening daily before our eyes, it is heart wrenching and discouraging. You want to shout— "stop the killing. Just stop!" Can't we just live peacefully with one another? What are we to do?
Even though we can't stop the violence physically, we can do something spiritually, for we know in our hearts that it is indeed a spiritual battle. We can pray against the violence and killing. We can go to our Lord in prayer and beg his mercy upon his people.
We can pray for protection of all the innocent—and we can proclaim, “You O Lord will protect us; you will guard us from this generation forever.
“The Lord is in his holy temple; The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.
Our God does hear the cry of his people before his thrown in heaven. However, we pray and then we expect instant results. We are a generation of instant answers and instant solutions. We may never know, this side of heaven, how our persistent prayer has helped someone find hope in Jesus in the midst of war and violence. We call upon all the angels and saints to intercede on the behalf of those who are in the midst of violence and hatred. Let us call upon the name of Jesus to rain down the purifying living waters of his mercy and love.
Perhaps just for a few moments today, we can meditate on the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: Let us not use bombs and guns to overcome the world. Let us use love and compassion. Peace begins with a smile. Smile five times a day at someone you don't really want to smile at; do it for peace. Let us radiate the peace of God and so light His light and extinguish in the world and in the hearts of all men all hatred and love for power. Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other-that man, that woman, that child is my brother or my sister. If everyone could see the image of God in his neighbor, do you think we would still need tanks and generals?
Let Us Pray: Come Lord Jesus come with the consuming fire of your love to bring peace to our troubled hearts and world. Amen.
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About the Author
Connie Beckman resides in Helena Montana with her husband and their dog Chewie and their two cats Heidi and Bailey. A number of years ago, she was the editor and feature story writer for a small bi-weekly newspaper. Connie has been published in a number of Catholic magazines. Margaret Ann Stimatz, Ruth Lloyd, and Connie co-authored a 40-day-reflection booklet entitled: Mercy for Little Souls which contains tidbits about the late Father Stu Long's powerful ministry with quotes from the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy In My Soul. Mercy for Little Souls is available at Beyond.227.org. Her desire as a writer is to encourage Catholic spiritual growth by sharing the truths of the faith through the written word addressing a variety of subjects. "Go out to all the world and tell the good news." Mark 16:15.
