Isaiah 35:4-7a
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37
Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord!
Honourable religious leaders and representatives of the different Christian churches and communities!
Dear guests and friends!
Today starts the peace prayer in Aachen. I would like to cordially welcome you.
We, the community of Sant�Egidio and the Diocese of Aachen are very pleased and honoured that you have come in such great numbers and being such important representatives.
We are praying to God, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, who has shown his loving face to us in his son Jesus Christ. He has come as the �Prince of Peace� (Is 9:5). He is our Saviour. �For he is our peace� (Eph 2: 14).
When we are praying for peace, we are turning to the one God. We know: God is not catholic, God is not protestant, God is not orthodox. God is not even Christian. God is not Jewish. God is not Muslim. God is not Buddhist. God is not the God of one or the other religion. God is God. God is the God and Father of every person. He desires all men to be saved (1 Tim 2:3). God cares for every person. God loves everyone. God is God for all of us. He is our good father. We are all his creatures, children of this earth.
When representatives of different religions on this earth pray to God for peace in these days we do that with different concepts of God and we are venerating God in different ways. We all want to venerate the true God, but in doing that we are not doing it the same way. We can respect and appreciate each other in our different ideas and veneration of God. We can also discover many common things which unite us, but our faiths and religions differ. This peace meeting does not want a syncretic mixture of religions, but seeks mutual respect by looking for that which unites us and that which separates us while respecting the religious profile of the other.
The Second Vatican Council taught us: �The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.� (Nostra aetate No. 2)
As Christians we believe in the Trinity of God and we confess that God sent his only-begotten son Jesus Christ to all mankind for our salvation. The Council continues: �Indeed, she (the church) proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself� (Nostra aetate No. 2). We confess: he has shone in our hearts (2 Cor 4:2) and we bear testimony for him in our whole life and especially during the peace prayer in Aachen in these days. �For he is our peace.� (Eph 2:14). He is the crucified and risen Lord exalted to God�s glory. He is our Saviour and Redeemer.
As Christians we are called to work for justice and peace in the world, to decide for the poor, the elderly and the weak, to practise the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus blesses those which are poor in the spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness� sake. If we follow his teachings especially when we meet each other in these days, then the kingdom of heaven is promised to us (see Matthew 5:3-11).
This message is brought to us by the chandelier of Barbarossa, which we see here in the octagon of the cathedral. The eight small floor plates show the life of Jesus from his preaching to this transfiguration. The eight large floor plates show the eight blessings. The cathedral speaks to us and says: to those who orientate their life towards Jesus� life and teaching, the heavenly Jerusalem will be opened. This message must be our basic attitude and we will then be able to be ambassadors of peace, of his peace.
In today�s gospel we see how Jesus heals a deaf man who has an impediment in speech. What kind of a person is that who cannot hear and speak! We ourselves often have deaf ears and a dumb mouth. We need open ears and open hearts. We need a lively language, which speaks to the heart of the people. Especially when there are conflicts, when we are asked to speak frankly, we are supposed to be attentive listeners and understanding promoter of peace. We pray that Jesus will open our deaf ears and our dumb mouth so that we are astonished beyond measure, saying �He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak� (Mk 7:37). May the people hear the voice of peace, which in these days comes from Aachen. Then the prophecy will be fulfilled: �Be strong, fear not! Behold your God �.. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water (Is 35:4-7).
We pray:
Herr, mach uns zu einem Werkzeug deines Friedens (Francis of Assisi)
Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Signore, fa di noi un strumento della tua pace.
Amen.
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