March 23   Bernadette asked, “ How worried were the Jewish leaders about pacifying the Romans, their oppressors,  and did they see Jesus as causing trouble in the political sense and therefore wanted to do away with him? In our day we’ve had a gutful of politics especially the Israeli-Hamas war which is about the same land but a very different situation and of course a modern form of war.   I wonder if one ever gets the whole picture.  Different parties and media, TV or radio or newspapers paint different pictures of the same events, making it almost impossible to make sense of what is really going on.  The prophets also presented a variety of images over the centuries about war and peace.  Today within our country, party and family we also don’t all see things in the same way, do we?”    Is peace, true peace the only answer?  Pope Francis frequently preaches and prays for peace.  

Reflect, share. Scripture: Read the relevant scripture passages.  Behold I will take the sons of Israel from the nations among which they have gone and will gather them from all sides and bring them to their own land and I will make them one nation and one king.  They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and detestable things. I will make a covenant of peace with them.   Ezekiel 37:21-28.  Pope Francis:  War is the negation of all rights and a dramatic assault on the environment.  If we want true integral human development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war between nations and peoples.  FT 256   In the name of justice and mercy the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of faith we declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path, mutual cooperation as the code of conduct, reciprocal understanding as the method and standard.  From Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Document on Human Fraternity. 2019  LSAP 7.   Community resilience and empowerment.   Pray with the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.