Reconciliation is the key to peace, July 16, 2015 Daily Reflection

My Peace Dove

As Christians in our world today reconciliation is needed not just in the Church but in our modern culture. Recently there have been many controversial challenges to the values of Christians; the acceptance of transgender people, Supreme Court passing homosexuals legally being married, the abuse of our earth, the wars among different countries, and ISIS. In all of these situations reconciliation is needed. Sacraments bring Catholics into the presence of God and plant the seeds of the Holy Spirit. If we live our lives recognizing God in all places and times (sacramentality) and practice our beliefs then reconciliation will be brought into our everyday lives. We do not need to believe that marriage among homosexuals is a sacrament to continue to love homosexuals. We need to love all people and respect them because they were each created in the image of God with human dignity. We don’t need to take a side on transgender people, we need to love them and have a relationship with them instead of marginalizing them from society. We need to bring the peace and forgiveness to this world not condemnation and damning others. Jesus Christ came to teach us how to love unconditionally all people even those in ISIS. We should try to stop the violence, hate, murder, and sins but the only way to do this as Pope Francis tells us is through love. Pope Francis said it best, “I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace. May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and let themselves be led by the desire for peace.”

We have so many issues to reconcile in our world. We need to start with our own personal relationships first. This is a call to action. Who in your life do you need to ask forgiveness from, who do you need to offer forgiveness to? What relationships do you need to reconcile? Start with your life and embrace the dignity of all people. We are to be in relationship with ourselves, others, nature, and God. Reconciliation is the key to peace and growth.