Let Peace Ring

Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from August 20, 2006

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever." John 6:51

RECENTLY I HAD BREAKFAST WITH a family. A four year old was playing with what I thought was a knuckle-duster. I came to find out that it was a ring-pop. He held out his fist across the table to me, "Lick this and you will live forever!" I was taken aback with this biblical greeting. A few minutes later he repeated the gesture with a different script: "Bang! Bang! You are dead!" In fantasy this little boy was playing with his own power to bring life or death.

In reality it is a choice for all of us.

We come to church approaching the table of the Lord longing for the bread of life. "Whoever eats this bread will live forever."

A friend of mine, Brother Eugene, passed away in Ireland last week. I missed being at the funeral of a close friend and companion. I join with all of you who want to maintain a physical contact with the dead. In the Eucharist we taste the pledge of eternal life. Jesus said he came to bring life, life to the full, even eternal life.

Yet we know that we live with death and destruction. The violence of Iraq has been compounded over the summer with the bloody war in Lebanon. In the midst of news of massacres, I searched in vain in the secular press for the voice of the church. I eventually found the Pope's words in the Catholic Herald.

The Pope decried the situation in Lebanon with "hundreds of dead, many injured, an enormous number of homeless and displaced people and houses, cities and infrastructure destroyed. At the same time in the hearts of many people, hatred and the desire for vengeance seem to grow. These facts demonstrate that you cannot reestablish justice, create a new order and build an authentic peace by turning to the instrument of violence. More than ever we see how prophetic and, at the same time, realistic is the Church's voice when, in the face of wars and conflict of every kind, it indicates the path of truth, justice, love and freedom. This is the path humanity must follow in order to achieve the desired good of peace."

He called for government leaders to "begin building, through dialogue, a lasting and stable coexistence among all the peoples of the Middle East."

The Pope's call for an immediate ceasefire is part of a long held Vatican tradition of peace making.

Pope John the XXIII wrote the landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris 40 years ago. Its message is even more poignant today.
"People are becoming more and more convinced that disputes which arise between states should not be resolved by recourse to arms, but rather by negotiation. In an age such as ours which prides itself on its atomic energy it is contrary to reason to hold that war is now a suitable way to restore rights which have been violated."

For every child and for every adult the biblical choice is offered: "I set before you the blessing and the curse; choose life." Let us offer a profound 'Amen' to the Bread of Life.