Pray For Peace Around the World

      I knew a man who was rather negative and cynical. He said that the next world war would be fought with nuclear bombs. The next big war after that would be fought with sticks and stones. I pray that there are no “big” wars in the future. Nonetheless, those who maintain a so-called “doomsday clock” have moved the hands ahead closer to midnight. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists created this metaphor and up-date the clock based on their evaluation of world events and attitudes. Recently they moved the hands to 2 minutes and 30 seconds before midnight. This is the closest it has been since the 1970’s.

      Beside our personal daily lives and our personal concerns, there are grand and global concerns about which we must be aware. For instance, we pray not only for peace in our local communities and families, but also for world peace and for peace between nations in conflict. We remain attentive to both local and global issues at the same time.

      One global concern about which we need to be aware is water. There are those who fear that regional and even more extensive wars may develop over access to clean water. There are growing concerns over possible refugee crises that may occur as people flee homelands that no longer provide enough water.

      The use of water and free access to water are moral issues. There are just ways and sinful ways to use water. Justice requires that even though we have easy access to abundant sources of clean water, we must not waste it. For example, the Great Lakes are not just a great resource for the people in Canada and the United States who live near them. These large bodies of fresh water are a resource for which we are to care about every drop!

      Our parish “Social Concerns Committee” has gathered some important facts about water from various sources. These facts will be featured in the bulletin during Lent. We have good reason, rooted in our faith and in Jesus’ commandment to “love one another” as he loved us, to pay attention to water issues near and far.

      The earth on which we live is like one large organism. What happens to one part of the body of the organism affects the whole body. As Christians who live our faith as the Body of Christ, whose every part is important, let us pay attention to the use of the resources of “the body,” that is, the earth.

Peace Fr. Andy