Pope Francis’ Sermon At Peace Prayer Vigil

Here is a Vatican translation of the homily Pope Francis shared on September 07, 2013, at the prayer vigil held in St. Peter’s Square. The Holy Father stated today a Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria and around the globe. He led a vigil in St. Peter’s Square, which included the praying of the rosary, and Eucharistic adoration.

“And God saw that it was excellent” (Gen 1:12, 18, 21, 25). The biblical account of the beginning of the history of the world and of humankind speaks with us of a God who takes a look at production, in a sense considering it, and states: “It is good”. This, dear brothers and sisters, enables us to enter into God’s heart and, exactly from within him, to receive his message.

We can ask ourselves: exactly what does this message indicate? Exactly what does it state to me, to you, to everyone?

It states to us simply that this, our world, in the heart and mind of God, is the “house of consistency and peace”, and that it is the space in which everybody has the ability to find their correct location and feel “in your home”, since it is “excellent”. All of production types a harmonious and good unity, but above all humanity, made in the image and similarity of God, is one family, in which relationships are marked by a true fraternity not only in words: the other individual is a brother or sister to enjoy, and our relationship with God, who is love, fidelity and goodness, mirrors every human relationship and brings consistency to the entire of production. God’s world is a world where everybody feels responsible for the other, for the excellent of the other. This night, in reflection, fasting and prayer, each of us deep down should ask ourselves: Is this actually the world that I want? Is this truly the world that all of us carry in our hearts? Is the world that we want truly a world of harmony and peace, in ourselves, in our relations with others, in households, in cities, in and between nations? And does not true flexibility imply picking portals this world that bring about the good of all and are guided by love?

Then we ask yourself: Is this the world in which we are living? Production keeps its charm which fills us with admiration and it continues to be a good work. There is likewise “violence, division, disagreement, war”. This takes place when man, the summit of creation, stops contemplating appeal and goodness, and withdraws into his own selfishness.

When man thinks just of himself, of his own interests and locations himself in the center, when he allows himself to be mesmerized by the idolizers of dominion and power, when he puts himself in God’s place, then all relationships are broken and every little thing is ruined; then the door opens to violence, indifference, and dispute. This is exactly exactly what the passage in guide of Genesis looks for to instruct us in the story of the Fall: man takes part in conflict with himself, he realizes that he is naked and he hides himself because he hesitates (cf. Gen 3: 10), he hesitates of God’s glance; he implicates the woman, she who is flesh of his flesh (cf. v. 12); he breaks harmony with creation, he begins to raise his hand against his brother to eliminate him. Can we state that from consistency he passes to “disharmony”? No, there is no such thing as “disharmony”; there is either harmony or we fall under mayhem, where there is physical violence, argument, problem, worry … It is exactly in this disorder that God asks man’s conscience: “Where is Abel your brother?” and Cain responds: “I do not understand; am I my brother’s caretaker?” (Gen 4:9). We too are asked this concern, it would benefit us to ask ourselves as well: Am I truly my brother’s keeper? Yes, you are your brother’s keeper!

To be human is to care for one another! When consistency is broken, a metamorphosis takes place: the brother who is to be cared for and liked becomes an enemy to battle, to kill. Exactly what physical violence occurs at that minute, the number of problems, how many wars have actually marked our history! We require only take a look at the suffering of numerous brothers and sisters. This is not a question of coincidence, but the fact: we produce the rebirth of Cain in every act of physical violence and in every war. We all! And even today we continue this history of problem between brothers, even today we raise our hands against our brother. Even today, we let ourselves be led by idolizers, by selfishness, by our own interests, and this attitude persists. We have actually developed our weapons, our conscience has actually slept, and we have actually sharpened our ideas to validate ourselves. As if it were normal, we remain to sow damage, pain, death! Physical violence and war lead just to death, they mention fatality! Physical violence and war are the language of death!

After the turmoil of the flood, when it stopped raining, a rainbow appeared and the dove returned with an olive branch. Today, I think also of that olive tree which reps of different faiths grown in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires in 2000, asking that there disappear mayhem, asking that there be no more war, requesting for peace.

And at this point I ask myself: Is it possible to walk the course of peace? Can we leave this spiral of sadness and fatality? Can we find out as soon as again to walk and stay in the means of peace? Conjuring up the aid of God, under the maternal stare of the Salus Populi Romani, Queen of Peace, I say: Yes, it is possible for everybody! From every corner of the world tonight, I would like to hear us cry out: Yes, it is possible for everyone! Or even much better, I would like for each one of us, from the least to the greatest, including those called to govern countries, to react: Yes, we want it! My Christian faith urges me to want to the Cross. How I wish that all males and females of goodwill would look to the Cross if only for a minute! There, we can see God’s reply: violence is not answered with violence, fatality is not addressed with the language of death. In the silence of the Cross, the uproar of tools stops and the language of settlement, forgiveness, dialogue, and peace is talked.

This night, I ask the Lord that we Christians, and our brothers and sisters of other religious beliefs, and every man and woman of good will, cry out vigorously: violence and war are never the way to peace! Let everyone be relocated to check out the depths of his/her conscience and listen to that word which says: Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome the indifference that makes your heart insensitive towards others, dominate your fatal reasoning, and open yourself to dialogue and reconciliation. Look upon your brother’s sorrow– I think of the kids: look upon these … look at the sadness of your brother, remain your hand and do not contribute to it, renovate the harmony that has been shattered; and all this accomplished not by conflict however by encounter! Could the noise of tools stop! War constantly marks the failure of peace, it is always a defeat for mankind. Let the words of Pope Paul VI resound again: “No more one against the various other, no even more, never! … war never ever again, never ever once again war!” (Address to the United Nations, 1965). “Peace shares itself just in peace, a peace which is not separate from the demands of justice but which is fostered by personal sacrifice, clemency, mercy and love” (World Day of Peace Message, 1975). Brothers and Sisters, forgiveness, discussion, reconciliation– these are the words of peace, in beloved Syria, in the Middle East, in all the world! Let us pray this night for reconciliation and peace, let us work for settlement and peace, and let us all become, in every location, men and women of settlement and peace! Could it be.