Newsletter - October
THE FOUNDATION OF PEACE
"? they have misled my people by saying: Peace! when there is no peace?" (Ezk 13: 19; cf. Jer 6: 14). The Lord speaks through the prophet Ezekiel against the false prophets full of deceitful promises. Ezekiel insists that only in God and with God is there true peace.
Nowadays peace is invoked by everybody and everywhere. I think it is the most frequent word in the mass media, in the political speeches, in the decisions taken by the international organisations. Prayers everywhere in the world are raised for this purpose. Really, peace is recognised to be the supreme good and the lack of it is felt as a wound.
Unfortunately among men and nations there is not a univocal meaning and understanding of peace. Maybe people of power, in their hearts, want peace and concord and harmony, but the manners and actions they adopt to pursue it are not at all adequate to achieve true peace. Revenge (if you hurt me, I, in return, will hurt you), oppression (the right of the stronger), no respect for others' life (never mind if a few innocent persons are killed, as long as I defend myself), this way of thinking and acting cannot be conducive to peace. Instead, it perpetuates the instability, insecurity and violence. Then, there are the national interests, which must be safeguarded by any means, even if it is thought necessary to trample on the rights of others. The rich nations manufacture weapons, light, heavy, conventional or highly sophisticated, that must be sold; and, of course, weaponry must be used.
The foundation of peace lies on four pillars: truth, justice, love and freedom, as we read in the following passage:
"The living together of human beings is orderly, fertile and corresponding to their dignity as persons, when it is founded on truth, according to the words of St. Paul: "So, from now on, there must be no more lies. Speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one another (Ef 4: 25). This requires that the reciprocal rights and the mutual duties be recognised. Furthermore, this living together becomes true when it is done with justice and it is animated and integrated by love, which make one feels as his own the needs and the necessities of others. Finally, this living together must be carried out in freedom, for this becomes the dignity of rational beings, who are able to assume the responsibility of their action" (John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, n. 34).
Five Paths of Repentance
Would you like me to list the paths of repentance?
They are numerous and quite varied, and all lead to heaven.
The first path of repentance is the condemnation of your own sins. Be the first to admit your sins and you will be justified. For this reason too the prophet wrote: "I said, I will accuse myself of my sins to the Lord, and you forgive the wickedness of my heart." Therefore, you too should condemn your own sins, that will be enough reason for the Lord to forgive you, for the man who condemns his own sins is slower to commit them again. Rouse your conscience to accuse you within your own house, lest it becomes your accuser before the judgement seat of the Lord.
That, then, is one good path of repentance.
Another and no less valuable one is to put out of our minds the harm done us by our enemies, in order to master our anger, and to forgive our fellow servants' sins against us. Then our own sins against the Lord will be forgiven us. Thus you have another way to atone for sin: "For if you forgive your debtors, your heavenly Father will forgive you."
Do you want to know of a third path? It consists of prayer that is fervent, careful and comes from the heart.
If you want to hear of a fourth, I will mention almsgiving, whose power is greater and far reaching.
If, moreover, a man lives a modest, humble life, that, no less than the other ways I have mentioned, takes sins away. Proof of this is the tax-collector who had no good deeds to mention, but offered his humility instead and was relieved of a heavy burden of sins.
Thus I have shown you five paths of repentance: condemnation of your own sins, forgiveness of our neighbour's sins against us, prayer, almsgiving and humility.
Do not be idle, then, but walk daily in all these paths?.
( From a homily of St. John Chrysostom)