God the Almighty has been our refuge from generation to generation.
It is his divine will is that peace should shine on all people everywhere across the earth and all the time. His spirit, guides the efforts of humankind to bring peace and justice to all the warring nations of the earth, and gives strength to rulers and all religious leaders who work to establish peace and justice in the entire world, from Africa to the Middle-East and beyond. He inspires those who come together in search of ways to bring about peace, and through His Word, and after our incessant prayers, radically changes the hearts of all people so that we may all strive for peace rather than seek solutions via the abhorrent instrument of war, and seek the common good rather than be selfish and seek personal enrichment at the expense of others.
�A voice cries out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all the people shall see it together�. Isaiah 40: 3-5
By praying fervently, God enables us to share that peace with those around us, so that love and harmony may be always present in our lives, that all the people of the world may know happiness, that we may live with dignity as brothers and sisters, and that all may rejoice in His mighty presence. Although we may be from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, we can all call upon His infinite Grace, and humbly ask Him to receive our prayers and make us instruments of His peace. The Holy Bible is clear about our need to pray. God's Word commands it in Luke 18:1 and Ephesians 6:18. Theophan the Recluse tells us that �prayer is to stand the mind in the heart before God, and so on standing before him unceasingly day and night, until the end of life�. According to St. Gregory Palamas, �prayer uplifts and unites beings with God.�
We should all pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The type of prayer that is called for in many of our life situations where war is a constant threat and real possibility, is in many ways like pushing a heavy load up a high and steep mountain. Our progress may be slow at times, and we need to stop from time to time in order to rest and renew our strength. The nature of loads on steep hills is however, that when we are not pushing, the load is often slipping backwards down the hill to crush us. If we "rest" too long, we may find that that the load has returned to the point at which you started pushing. In fact, it may have even slipped further back than your starting point! Prayer is a gift from God to us that we need to listen to and create an openness where God can give himself to us. Prayer is Jacob�s Ladder by which we ascend to God and He descends to us.
You need to pray often enough so that the burden for which you are praying actually makes it over the "top of the hill" where it won't slip back any more. Of course, by the time you get one burden to the "top of the hill" there is usually another burden at the foot of the next hill to take its place. Nevertheless, it's important that our prayers actually accomplish something. After all, James 5:16-18 assures us that the prayer of a righteous man (or woman) is powerful and effective! We must remember to pray continually and we will begin to see the things that we are praying for coming to pass. In Christianity we celebrate the miracle of the Resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead amidst violence, Roman colonialism, and a world full of human-centered desires. Today, the violence continues in the Middle East and in other parts of the world. New threats of violence are arising in the form of terrorism. As we pray we are a witness that peacemakers are needed in our troubled world. We need to continue to work on both personal and systemic levels to make peace a reality. We need to continue to believe in the myriad of miracles of Jesus Christ, in his ministry to the world, and in his dialogue with people of all faiths. We must pray unceasingly for global peace and for a world of harmony where we can live in peace with all other human beings. Let us strive to raise a peace consciousness amongst all the peoples of the earth and encourage young and old people to become peacemakers dedicated to living in the spirit of the words "MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH." Let us foster a better understanding and greater respect for the diversity of our human family, knowing that we can all make great contributions to a more peaceful world. Let us ask our Loving God for the gifts of civility and charity so that we can treat others with respect and true agape love. Let us ask for the gifts of faith and hope to strengthen our spirit by placing our trust in God rather than in our weak selves. Let us also ask for the gifts of patience and perseverance from Christ our Lord, the Prince of Peace, who lives and reigns with God and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Let us pray for true global peace that only our Creator can give, a peace that is just and that will endure forever.
We are also grateful to the members of the Community of Santegidio for organizing this important and unique meeting to move ourselves with the spirit of Saint Fransis to the way of Peace for the whole world.
Seraphim