Fr Ed Homily 11-19-20

If You Only Knew What Makes for Peace

Jesus could see into the future. He knew in the next 30 to 40 years Jerusalem would be destroyed. This great temple of the Jewish people would only have a foundation wall left standing that today is called the Wailing Wall. Everything in Jerusalem was demolished. Over a million Jews were killed in that terrible war. It was time of great pain and sorrow. Rome destroyed everything. Jesus said, “If you only knew what makes for peace . . .” Do we know what makes for peace today?

Too often we think of great things that need to be done for peace. But let us be honest, directly none of us by ourselves are going to have a significant impact on what is needed for world peace. Directly, that is, but indirectly we can. Think of Jerusalem. Over the course of centuries, it has been rebuilt. It is the most well-known site for three great religions. People make pilgrimages to many holy sites. We grow up knowing many of the names of these holy sites not even having visited them personally. There is a point to be made here, though. Although, Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, they do not have peace. There is still war and conflict. There will probably be war until the second coming of Christ. So, what is peace?

Peace must be the love that you have for God and for neighbor. It is what you do right here right now. It is how you show love for your neighbor. Every time you do an act of kindness or mercy to your neighbor you in turn gift your love to God. Advent is coming soon. It is not too soon to start. Here is an Advent idea to try. Every day think of a friend, coworker, or neighbor and do an act of kindness without letting them know you did it. This is a great way to bring world peace about. If we all did this, we would have a direct impact on world peace. But it would be greater because we would also bring about a spiritual peace, the peace of the Christ-Child coming to earth. Hey, 37 days to Christmas, 37 acts of kindness. Let us get started.

May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.