A Wish & A Prayer For Peace

I've never believed in war. When I think of those who resort to it, I pray for them. I know power and greed nullifies their ability to think on a moral plane—despite their grand justifications.

I also know the war that enriches them will in equal measure disfigure their soul on account of the injustice they unleash and the countless human tragedies that unfold in the wake of their destruction.

War has always been the least imaginative solution. Geniuses find peaceful solutions. Today's American leaders do not.

War is always on our table, not as a last resort, but as a stick to prod or punish weaker nations into submission when they fail to grant us exclusive exploitation rights of their national resources. As in Venezuela. As in Iran. As in countless other countries where previous leaders orchestrated regime change.

The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before. We should be concerned and prepared.

We should also pray for peace.

Saint Francis' prayer for peace has always moved me. It really speaks to my heart.

Instead of seeking peace for himself, Saint Francis gives God the opportunity to use him as an instrument of the peace he craves.

It's a reminder that we, too, can be instruments of peace wherever we find conflict—be it in our homes, our community, or elsewhere. For decades, this prayer has been pinned somewhere on my desk or computer. It's always raised my spirits during times of conflict. It's always been something I can read and act on.

Reflecting on these words also brings its own feeling of peace.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/2026-statement/