"My peace I give to you." (Jn 14: 27)

There are about 30 armed conflicts being waged on our planet at the moment. Some are in the headlines, others are forgotten, but no less cruel for that. Violence, hatred and bitter disputes are present even in those countries that live 'in peace'. Every people, every person is aware of a deep yearning for peace, for harmony, for unity. Yet, despite all the efforts and the good will, after thousands of years of history, we find we still cannot establish a lasting peace.

Jesus came to bring us peace, a peace, he says, that is not like "that which the world gives" (John 14: 27), because it is not merely the absence of war, fighting, division and trauma. 'His' peace is this too, but it is also much more: it is the fullness of life and of joy; it is the salvation of the whole person; it is freedom; it is brotherhood in love among all peoples. He himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14), and this is why he can say:

"My peace I give to you."

What did Jesus do to give us 'his' peace? He paid for it in person. At the very moment when he promised peace, he was betrayed by one of his friends, handed over to his enemies, and condemned to a cruel and humiliating death. He put himself between the opposing sides, took on himself the hatreds and separations, and broke down the walls that separated people. (Eph. 2:14-18) By dying on the cross, having experienced abandonment by the Father out of love for us, he reunited human beings with God and among themselves, bringing universal brotherhood on earth. Building peace demands of us the same powerful love: a love that is able to love even those who do not love us back, a love that is able to forgive, to see beyond the label 'enemy', and to love the country of the other person as our own. It calls for us to be transformed from fainthearted people, taken up with our own interests and our own concerns, into little heroes of our times who day by day, by serving their brothers and sisters, are ready to give even their lives for the good of others. It calls for us to have new hearts and new eyes so as to love and see everyone as candidates for universal brotherhood.

We might ask ourselves: "Even on our housing estate where everyone seems to argue? Even when my colleagues stand in the way of my career? Even with the members of another political party or a rival football team? Even with people of other religions or different nationalities?" Yes, everyone is my brother or sister. Peace begins here, from the relationship I am able to establish with each of my neighbours.

"Evil begins in the human heart," wrote Igino Giordani, and he added, "to remove the danger of war we need to remove the spirit of aggression and exploitation and egoism from which war comes: we need to reconstruct a conscience."

"My peace I give to you."

How can Jesus give us his peace today? He can be present in our midst through our love for one another, through our unity. (Matt. 18: 20) In this way we can experience his light, his strength, his very same Spirit, the fruits of which are love, joy and peace. (Gal 5: 22) Peace and unity run side by side.

In this month, in which we pray especially that full and visible communion among the churches may be reached, we are aware more than ever of the bond between unity and peace. In recent years we have seen how much the Churches and individual Christians have worked together for peace.

How can we bear witness to the deep peace brought by Jesus if among us Christians there is not the fullness of love, if we are not of one heart and one soul, like the first community in Jerusalem?

The world will change if we change. Of course we must work, each doing what he or she can, to resolve conflicts, to make laws that foster peaceful living among communities and peoples. But above all, by emphasising what unites us, we will contribute to the creation of a mentality of peace and work together for the good of humanity. If we bear witness to and spread authentic values like tolerarance, respect, patience, forgiveness and understanding, other attitudes that oppose peace will fade away of themselves.

This was our experience during the second world war, when we who were just a few young women decided to live only to love. We were young and afraid, but no sooner had we made the effort to live for each other, to help others, beginning with the most needy, and to serve them even at the risk of our own lives, than everything changed.

A new strength came into our hearts and we saw society begin to be different: a small Christian community started to be renewed, and it became the seed of a "civilisation of love". In the end it is love that conquers because love is stronger than anything else. Let's try to live like this during the month, to be the leaven of a new culture of peace and justice. We will see a new humanity reborn in us and around us.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.