Freedom from Violence: PEACE

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Freedom from Violence: PEACE

Shalom-God’s own peace

God, humans and the striving for peace:  God is peace itself. The violence around us is a reminder for us that we are still sinners and that we need to seek God. A search for peace without a search for God is a fruitless search. Only God can grant us peace. All those who yearn for peace in the world are silently and maybe even unknowingly yearning for God himself. Jesus was the Messiah destined to
be the “Prince of Peace”. By saving us from sin itself, he basically brought peace to us humans. But we humans have the option to accept God’s offer for reconciliation or to reject it. Once we accept it, we need to share this peace to others by spreading the Gospel message of peace.
However the striving for peace needs to be sought after by all humans irrespective of whether one is Christian or not. The first step to universal peace is to understand the fact that all of us humans need to work for peace in the world. Peace needs to radiate from within oneself and then move out into our families, friends, and then the society at large. Christians are able to attain this peace by listening to the Word of God and meditating on it. Even the sacrament that one receives (especially the sacrament of Reconciliation) helps one to experience what peace is.
What is peace: Many people have a false understanding of what peace is. However the actual goal of peace is justice to all as how God would intend it to be and to love the other as God would love us. The Church stands by the fact that peace comes from the unconditional love that God has for all human beings. This is the bsis for the Church’s work for peace. God is brought into the forum of peace when are able to forgive another who has done wrong because it is God who gives us the strength to forgive.
The Church’s work for peace: The Church works for peace primarily through prayer for prayer is a great aid to bring peace. But, it also helps promote peace through the various events it sponsors that promote peace like the World Day of Peace. Thus the Church shows that peace can be obtained not only theoretically but also practically. Following the Gospel itself can be a great peace movement. Moreover the Church tries to safeguard peace in the places where she is diplomatically represented. This she does by promoting human rights and by making a stand in the various social issues in that area. The Church is also a permanent observer at the UN. It remains a permanent observer to maintain its political neutrality. However the Church is a permanent member in various other groups like the International Atomic Energy Organisation, the International Telecommunication Union, etc.
WAR and VIOLENCE
 Many wars happened due to long- standing hatred between peoples because of different ideologies or desires of individuals for power and wealth. People also sought to war for justice and to do away with sufferings. The Church sees war as the most momentous failure of peace. “Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we must do everything reasonable possible to avoid it” (CCC2327). War is a “defeat for humanity” (JP II, Address to the Diplomatic Corps, January 13, 2003). Catholic social teaching is aware that the States often no longer have suitable means of defending themselves effectively and of maintaining peace. The Church counts on the work of regional and international organizations to promote peace and to establish trusts between nations.
Defense in war: Wars are immoral in themselves. However when war breaks out the State being attacked have the right and duty to organize a defense, even by force of arms. Christians too can be in the military forces to serve and defend the security and freedom of a country. Defense by force of arms is justified when the damage by the aggressor must be “lasting, grave and certain. “All the available peaceful ways of resolving the conflict are exhausted and no other means left of preventing or putting an end to the damage inflicted. The consequences of the defensive use of arms must not be worse than the damage inflicted by the aggressor. In short, in a defense against unjust attack, forced may be used only as much as ids absolutely necessary to achieve the purpose of self-defense.
Soldiers are obliged not to obey orders that violate international law. Innocent victims who could not defend themselves against an attack must be protected in all circumstances. The attempt to wipe entire population groups through genocide or “ethnic cleansing” is a crime against God and against humanity. The international community has the moral obligation to intervene in favour of groups whose survival is 3endangerd or whose fundamental rights are being violated massively.
Arms Trade: The Church is committed to the foal of a “general, balanced, and controlled disbarment” (JP II, October 14, 1985), since the enormous worldwide increase of weapons presents a considerable threat to stability and freedom.The principle of sufficiency-every State may possess only the means required for its lefitimare defence must be kept in mind both by the buyers and dealers.

Terrorism

What is Terrorism: Terrorism is very different from publically declared wars because terrorist attacks are done on everyday situations rather than military bases. It needs to be strongly condemned because it affects the lives of the innocent and harbours revenge and other hateful feelings. Religiously-motivated terrorism is to be condemned since it is blasphemy to take the lives of the innocent under the pretext of serving God. Moreover the term “martyr” is wrongly defined in these terms since a martyr according to Christ is one who dies for the faith without harming the lives of the others around him especially the innocent. To prevent terrorism we need to create an environment where aggregation cannot be harboured.
Scientific Research and Terrorism: To some extent even scientific research adds fuel to the fire of terrorism. Scientific research needs to have certain regulations that will keep it under control. Moreover it needs to be universal and not limited to a single nation which could later use it to go against peace. Though scientific research can help society it needs to be also understood that this same research can also be misused by other people to create violence. This is a situation that needs to be looked into. The Church promotes scientific research but is against scientists producing their own ideology that can create problems in peace.
Questions for Reflection
How would you bring Christ to the non-Christians so as to help them understand the universality of peace?
How would bring about a dialogue between scientific ideologies and the Christian faith?

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