“May The Peace of God Which Passes All Understanding Be With You!”
Stickers from the Peace office of PCC to celebrate this year’s International Day of peace says, “I stand for Peace and Justice.” I decided to do a google search for “the relationship between peace and justice.” I got some very intetesting titles. Some which caught my attention include, “Justice and Peace: Good things do not always go together.” “No Justice, no Peace?…” “Are Freedom, Peace and Justice incompatible agendas?” The list is long.
It is obvious that the person who loves peace cannot have it if his noisy neighbour does not so desire. But we must seek to know whether the noisy neighbour is just making noise for noise sake or it was his grumbling stomach complaining of hunger when your full stomach wanted to rest unperturbed?
Malcolm X once said, you are not a diner because you are sitting at table if there is nothing in your plate. The noisy neighbour may be as Lucky Dube cried out that the poor people are hungry and are asking for their share.
Cameroon is joining the world to celebrate this day. Ironically some people in tandem with Lucky Dube promises to justifiably cry out that they are hungry and need their share. What do they get in return? Threats of further starvation if they dare! They should rather stay mute as a mark of peace!
Where then is the meeting point between peace and justice? To mute dissent breeds silence, but underneath the silence war brews. To interpret the silence of the discontented as a mark of peace is deceptive. Such silence is a time bomb! “Peace without justice is like a crumbling city wall.”
Yes, peace is beautiful! Peace is golden! Living in the present times in the land of my birth only indicate that I should cry out and stake my neck for justice as a necessary condition for peace! God save me!
The UN theme for this year’s celebration is “Shaping Peace Together.” Under this theme the UN requests:
“Celebrate the International Day of Peace by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stand together with the UN against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred. Join us so that we can shape peace together.”
It is in this light that we may consider that a peaceful democratic march is a threat to peace in the face of COVID-19.
There is mounting tension between endtime prophets and scientists, between America and China, in America between Democrats and Republicans, betwwen those who are propagating the use of Vaccines and those who stand against it, between WHO and African herbal medicine. The list is looonnngg! Lockdown, compulsiry regular handwashing, wearing of facemasks and quarantining breeds discrimination and hatred. Those who are discriminated upon and those who are hated may find it difficult to be at peace with those who treat them as such. There is general discontent as many have lost their jobs, businesses and social interactions.
It is against this backdrop that there is need for all of us to join hands in shaping peace together!
The best way to do this is to practically demonstrate the brotherhood of humanity through compassion and kindness, thus giving hope to those who have lost hope as caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compassion, kindness and hope are ingredients of the peace which Jesus offers, which the world cannot (Jn.14:27). Jesus still offers that same peace today through you. Be an instrument of Christ’s peace amidst the COVID-19 scare.
Sunday prayer: Lord make me an instrument of your peace as I join others for us to shape peace together. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!