Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem (who has offered himself in exchange for Israeli children being held hostage in Gaza) has sent a strong, compelling, empassioned letter to the people of his diocese. In part he writes (emphasis added):
To have the courage of love and peace here, today, means not allowing hatred, revenge, anger and pain to occupy all the space of our hearts, of our speech, of our thinking. It means making a personal commitment to justice, being able to affirm and denounce the painful truth of injustice and evil that surrounds us, without letting it pollute our relationships. It means being committed, being convinced that it is still worthwhile to do all we can for peace, justice, equality and reconciliation. Our speech must not be about death and closed doors. On the contrary, our words must be creative, life-giving, they must give perspective and open horizons.
Long before a cease fire might be declared in Ukraine or in Israrel and Gaza, you and I have the authority and power to call for a cease fire in our own lives and relationships – and in the speech and words we use to address our nation’s and our world’s tragic differences and hostilities.
Lord, give me desire
to call a Cease Fire
in the fights and arguments,
resentments and grudges
that make of my life a battlefield
and enemies of those you call me to love…
Lord, give me desire
to call a Cease Fire
and let go my lust
for proving my point
and settling the score in my favor…
Lord, give me desire
to call a Cease Fire,
to clear a space
in my mind andmy heart
for what others hold sacred,
precious and true,
in good faith,
as vital and real as my own…
Lord, give me desire
to call a Cease Fire;
give me a hunger and thirst
for peace;
give me an impulse
to freely forgive;
give me the wisdom
to see how the truth
is greater than all
I can know or imagine;
give me me a yearning
to be at peace
even with those
who have no desire
to be at peace with me;
and give me the grace
to let go and let you, Lord,
be the peace I desire and seek,
the only peace that can heal my heart,
the very peace you call me to make
with all of my sisters and brothers…
Protect me, Lord, while I’m awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace…
When I look for music, I often simply Google:
Whatever is tonight’s theme / hymn.
Well, I wasn’t expecting much when I searched for:
Cease Fire hymn – but lo and behold!
How do we save a life – pointing fingers?
How can we end the fight this way?
When blame is the truth we’re preaching?
And lies are what we’re believing?
No one ever wins
When the goal is to settle the score
One by one we will call for a ceasefire
One by one we will fight for a better end
One by one we could rewrite the headlines
Standing side by side
One by one, love is building an empire
One by one, reaching out to our enemies
One by one we will make it to the finish line
Standing side by side – Ceasefire!
I will be the first to say
I’m far from perfect
But grace was made for those who don’t deserve it
So easy to cast the first stone
Much harder to search your own soul
No one ever wins
When the goal is to settle the score
One by one we will call for a ceasefire
One by one we will fight for a better end
One by one we could rewrite the headlines
Standing side by side
One by one, love is building an empire
One by one, reaching out to our enemies
One by one we will make it to the finish line
Standing side by side – Ceasefire!
Teach us how to live humbly, love unconditionally
Transform our hurt into hope and grant us Your peace
Teach us how to live humbly, love unconditionally
Transform our hurt into hope and grant us Your peace
Ce site utilise des cookies afin que nous puissions vous fournir la meilleure expérience utilisateur possible. Les informations sur les cookies sont stockées dans votre navigateur et remplissent des fonctions telles que vous reconnaître lorsque vous revenez sur notre site Web et aider notre équipe à comprendre les sections du site que vous trouvez les plus intéressantes et utiles.
Cookies strictement nécessaires
Cette option doit être activée à tout moment afin que nous puissions enregistrer vos préférences pour les réglages de cookie.
Si vous désactivez ce cookie, nous ne pourrons pas enregistrer vos préférences. Cela signifie que chaque fois que vous visitez ce site, vous devrez activer ou désactiver à nouveau les cookies.
