Here [Homily for World Peace in Bangkok, Thailand; 10 May 1984], as a people enriched by the Buddhist tradition of your country, you are endowed with a particular predisposition to renounce violence in the vindication of personal rights. The Lord’s [Jesus Christ] injunction to be peacemakers touches a sensitive chord in your minds and your hearts, helping you not to yield to the many temptations of violence that assail the world.
In this light, we can better understand the meaning of the words of St. James:
“18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18 NIV).
How can this be done?
Reaping a harvest of righteousness happens in the Christian when he accepts the lifestyle indicated by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. This understanding comes from above and stands in stark contrast to the wisdom of this world. It is the opposite of materialism and hedonism.
In this context, the beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5: 9 NIV) takes on particular importance.
The true peacemaker is not only the one who renounces the use of violence as a usual method but the one who also dares to fight the enemies of peace.
The peacemaker fights not with physical weapons or against an individual or a nation. In all its forms, selfishness prevents us from seeing others as brothers and sisters in a single human family.
The peacemaker fights against indifference or apathy in the face of poverty, pain, and suffering. In the Christian vision of human life, these conditions never justify fatalism, nor are they signs of a curse.
Instead, they lead us to our redemption when associated with the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior Lord, whose innocent suffering remains forever a sign of hope for all humanity.
Brothers and sisters in Christ: in every celebration of the Eucharist, Christ renews the gift he made of himself as mediator and reconciler, gathering his scattered children to bring the gift of peace to the entire human family. In the mass, Christ becomes our peace. And Jesus Christ is our peace, the one we wish to offer to the world.
VIAGGIO APOSTOLICO IN COREA, PAPUA NUOVA GUINEA,
ISOLE SALOMONE E THAILANDIA
Stadio Nazionale di Bangkok (Thailandia)
Giovedì, 10 Maggio 1984
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