This Sunday, the second Sunday of ordinary time, is national peace Sunday across our Church, following the international day of peace. The theme of this years peace Sunday is “No one can be saved alone. Combatting Covid-19 together, embarking together on paths of peace.” Pope Francis expressed more on this theme in his full message for the day.
Vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon has asked that we all reflect on how we can bring peace into the world, saying
“In the places where we live, study and work, do we bring tension, words that hurt, chatter that poisons, controversy that divides? Or do we open up the way to peace?”
In this country we have an active Catholic peace movement in Pax Christi, which aims at working together to promote peace through parishes, schools and social media.
The national liturgy office have produced the following prayer for us all to join together praying for peace in our world.
Prayer
O God of peace, who are peace itself
and whom a spirit of discord
cannot grasp,
nor a violent mind receive,
grant that those who are one in heart
may persevere in what is good
and that those in conflict
may forget evil and so be healed.
Amen