In the lesson "Peace", we learned about an inner peace that makes us able to love our neighbors and ourselves. However, when we speak of world peace and ending war, this goes into other factors. While we should all work towards a personal peace, we sometimes have to think in terms of a larger community such as a city, state, or country. On Divine Mercy Sunday, we ask that God’s love, forgiveness, and mercy be poured out not only on us, but on the whole world. We ask for His infinite mercy for the many times we have failed as a whole society and as individuals when we let our pride, envy, and anger boil over until it leads to unspeakable atrocities.
How can we stop war? The danger of war among men hangs over us until Christ comes again. However, that does not mean that we should not strive for peace. “The Church has never been more insistent in pleading for peace and in offering nations the means for peace.” [1] There are four ways to achieve peace among our neighbors:
1. We must look “above all to ‘root out the causes of dissensions among men, on which war thrives and especially injustices.’”[2] Some injustices are excessive economic inequalities, cruel and abusive dictatorship, and some are at the root of all sin; envy, selfishness, and pride. Pope Clement I wrote to the Corinthians in the first century about pride swelling up inside. “Jealousy and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and anarchy, war and captivity. Then the dishonored rose up against the honored, the ignoble against the highly esteemed, the foolish against the wise, the young against the elders.” [3]
2. “Peace is the work of justice and the effects of charity.”[4] However, we must realize that perfect happiness and peace will only come when Jesus Christ comes again. Secular worldly powers like Communism try to devoid this last statement. They want people to think that absolute peace and paradise can be achieved in this world and that religion is only an “opiate” drug to trick us.
3. As we strive to give individuals more opportunities and equality, we must also look to help impoverished and developing countries. This is something that America has always excelled in. We are one of the most generous countries in the world. “While it is no guarantee of peace, nevertheless a sound economic base is an important condition for peaceful co-existence among nations, especially since in our days a serious gap has developed between prosperous and materially undeveloped nations.” [5]
4. It is not enough to give economic assistance; we should offer help at every level of a human person. This is where the Church can make great strides in helping communities foster a co-operation among nations. “The opportunity to practice the Beatitude of peacemakers on a cosmic scale has never been more open to the followers of Christ.” [6] “’Peace,’ however, ‘will be but an empty word unless it is founded on the order…founded on truth, built according to justice, animated and integrated by charity’ and, most importantly, ‘put into practice in freedom.’ [7] Nothing can be coerced, not even world peace.” [8]
[See also the section covering war in the “other attacks against life” lesson]
How can there be true peace in the world? As mentioned earlier, the fullness of peace will not reign until Jesus comes again. Also, “Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity.” [9]
“Our God is the God of peace…If men generally do not feel themselves to be children of God, it is because they are so little disposed to peace, so ready for disputes, quarrels, and war. They talk about peace but do not make peace, for they do not accept the guidance of the Spirit of wisdom.” [10] Let us create peace with our brothers and sisters and work to spread peace and equality to those who are less fortunate. We can do this by simply making sure that everyone we meet knows that God loves them and that we are all His children.