Getting to Peace

Post date: Oct 30, 2014 10:39:22 PM

You are warmly invited to attend the next Macarthur Social Justice Network meeting for 2014 to be held on:

Saturday, 8^th November 2014 between 2:30pm and 4:30pm

at St Thomas More Parish Hall, 43 Acacia Avenue, Ruse.

All Welcome: Gold Coin donation

Members are invited to attend where we will continue our workshop discussions on the topic we began at the August 2014 meeting and issues that due to time constraints have been carried over from our October Meeting:

Getting to PEACE

We will continue to address the issues of War and its consequences in the light of the commandment “You shall not kill” (exodus 20:13). Links and material available on the MSJN website at http://www.msjn.org/workshop-discussion

At the October Meeting, Handouts were provided concerning “The Peacemakers Pledge”, and The Journey to a Culture of Peace (from “The Peacemakers – A Biblical Guide to Resolving Conflict”, by Ken Sande).

We very much look forward to seeing you on Saturday 8th November @ 2.30pm. You are also encouraged to email any further issues you would like considered at this meeting.

Members are also urged to regularly visit the Macarthur Social Justice Network Website at: www.msjn.org as it is constantly updated with items of interest to our community, and the Social Justice Handbook – Resource Guide at http://www.msjn.org/home/social-justice-handbook

Meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month at 2:30pm.

Best wishes,

Peter

Peter Costello PSM

Secretary, Macarthur Social Justice Network

Prayer for Peace

Lord God of Peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain.

Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.

Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarrelling into forgiveness.

Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam!

Amen.

(Pope Francis)