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The Shaping of Peace


Today is the International Day of Peace 2020. This year the theme is "Shaping Peace Together" and we are encouraged to mark it by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, standing together against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred. It chimes well with a number of initiatives I have been involved with over the years, not least the 4 Corners Festival, and a number of my colleagues involved in that will be blogging and taking part in various events today. This being Monday it is my "day off" but in the shaping of peace together I suppose there should be no "days off". In thinking about today my mind was filled not only withe this year's theme, but also 4 Corners Festival themes past and future and especially the words of Oscar Romero that I have quoted previously:
"Peace is not the product of terror or fear.
Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.
Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.
Peace is the generous,
tranquil contribution of all
to the good of all.
Peace is dynamism.
Peace is generosity.
It is right and it is duty."
Archbishop Oscar Romero 

It was with all this in mind that I wrote the following. Like the pursuit of peace it is a work in progress...

May we not rest in peace 
Content with the decay of death
But may we be unrelentingly restless
In our pursuit of that illusive dove

May we not merely be gracious
Cloaking violence in silken words
But may we be full to the brim
Of grace and mercy and peace

May we be graceful and merciful
And peaceful so that these three
Rather than blood and bile and fear
Spill from shaken hearts and lives

May we not simply speak of peace
As a poultice on a putrid wound
Poisoning the well of well-being
Rendering words worthless

May reconciliation be founded
On the restoration of real relationship
Forgiveness not on forgetfulness of hurt
But remembrance of shared humanity.

May we learn to embrace again
Rather than remain distanced 
Breathing peace upon each other
Rather than the stale air of fearful isolation.

May we learn how to include the exclusive
Without tolerating intolerance
Discriminating only in our
Divine desire to welcome all 

May we shape peace together
From the precious broken pieces 
Of a wounded but wonderful world
Redeemed, renewed and set right.

Shalom
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