Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more
Micah 4: 2-3
It is hard to imagine a time when there will be no war in the world. God shall reign in peace, and arbitrate between many peoples and strong nations. That day has arrived for those of us who believe that Jesus accomplished all that the Father willed for Him to do. The ultimate proof of that is the foundation of our faith: Jesus dying for the sins of all, once and for all, and being raised from the dead in glory. That is the very foundation of our faith, and a cause for us to worship God and thank Him for all that He has done. We must see this with spiritual eyes and believe it in our hearts. In the Gospels, Jesus constantly proclaimed, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” During this season of Lent, we invite Him to build His kingdom in our hearts. To bring peace into our hearts – to free us from war within our hearts. The kingdom of God, the end of all war, the peace amongst all peoples, all of this begins in our hearts – one person at a time.
Let us pray with St. Gregory:
You who took our transgressions upon yourself,
you who graced us with your righteousness,
you who offered yourself as the ransom of our reconciliation,
you who never abandoned mercy,
you turn the impious toward good, God fearing works,
the people who live in darkness toward the light of an endless joy,
the captives of death toward life incorruptible.
For your name is glorified, Lord Jesus,
professed in all ways with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
in heaven on high and on earth below
among all the inhabitants therein,
forever and ever.
Amen
Prayer 63 D
