There are days when I look around and think "when will we ever find peace?" The daily news rarely reports on good things happening around the world, well, the occasional dog rescue or a child with a lemon aid stand to support a cause, but they are so rare that we forget that there are good people in the world.Currently, the Islamic religion is taking quite a beating in the news, and with radical and ignorant Americans. Muslims are labeled so broadly that it is harmful to humanity.
Murderous acts by radicals are no different than a bad car salesman or a bank that has loaned money to a family knowing they will default, in that the action murders the soul. The act takes hold and grinds on the person so hard that the results are just a bitter downward spiral of mistrust and profiling so that the person walks away from the situation thinking that all car salesmen are crooks or all banks are predators.
We really need to be VERY cautious when we start placing these blankets over an entire population. Think how we would view police in light of the recent videos that show the use of excessive force that results in the death of a human person. We would be very suspicious of police and less likely to help.
The world is a violent place and we need to combat this with peace. Jesus Christ was persecuted with as much discrimination as was the Prophet Mohammad, whose followers are persecuted just like the Christians. We are united in the roots of Abraham and we need to remember that. We are united in the struggle to overcome violence because of peaceful actions and attitudes.
We also need to remember to refrain from harmful and hate filled words because of a terrorist attack that involves extreme and misguided intentions by groups of people that do not accurately represent the whole.
Being more accepting and tolerant is the beginning of the path to a greater understanding that leads to Peace.
This is the second week of Advent and we are called to reflect on Peace and how to acquire the inner peace that produces the fruit of the Spirit.
Peace is possible and we, as a human race, will find it, but it takes work and awareness of state run propaganda that is rallying the people for the wrong reasons and mislabeling people, whether intentionally or not. It takes refraining from spreading hate on social media.
Take time and study the word of God, and whether you are Christain, Jew, Islamic, Buddhist, or any other faith that is based in love and peace, and if you have no faith in religion, have faith that a loving peaceful human race will have a greater impact on future generations.
May you always know what Love and Peace are, and may the Light of Christ be with you to guide you in the darkness.
Br. Rob, BSD.
