Like many of you, I have been reflecting on and praying about the international unrest in which we have been living since the morning of August 26. We are living in a time of increased fragility of peace in our world.
During these recent days, I’ve been offering special prayer intentions for the people of our diocese. Among those prayer requests have been many for the members of our military services, those serving in Afghanistan and the Afghani people. I included those who lost their lives among U.S. military personnel and civilians, and the friends and families who grieve their loss.
I encourage all our parishioners, as a diocesan Church, to join me in prayer for the physical, emotional and spiritual healing of the injured and for those in Afghanistan whose lives remain in jeopardy. So also, please offer prayers of gratitude for the many members of the military in our diocese who have served in Afghanistan and for their families — all of whom have shared in the sacrifice that comes with military service.
As I’ve reflected and prayed, my thoughts turned to how our Church has responded when refugees from worn-torn countries have come to the United States. I recall how in the 1970s, my father worked as a deacon and with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to help settle Vietnamese refugees in the Archdiocese of Washington. In the same way, I am grateful for the service Commonwealth Catholic Charities is providing at Fort Lee in welcoming and assisting in the resettlement of Afghan refugees in these days.
In troubling times, especially in the midst of international unrest, our faith and hope may be tested. However, when we embrace the Prince of Peace and live the Gospel he proclaimed, we know that the faith and hope we place in him will sustain us.
In his 1963 encyclical “Pacem in Terris” (“Peace on Earth”), St. John XXIII wrote, “… the world will never be the dwelling place of peace, till peace has found a home in the heart of each and every man, till every man preserves in himself the order ordained by God to be preserved” (165).
He further asked that we “pray with all fervor for this peace which our divine Redeemer came to bring us. May he banish from the souls of men whatever might endanger peace. May he transform all men into witnesses of truth, justice and brotherly love. May he illumine with his light the minds of rulers, so that, besides caring for the proper material welfare of their peoples, they may also guarantee them the fairest gift of peace” (171).
I assure you that I will continue to pray for the intentions with which you have entrusted me, and I invite all members of our Catholic community to join me in prayer and to lift up those family members and loved ones who may be hurting from this violent attack. I especially ask you to keep our military troops in prayer as they continue their humanitarian and national defense missions. May God grant us all protection and give us strength.
Our Lady Queen of Peace, pray for us.