Dear Friends,
Our world seems to be deepening the divisions between people on a daily basis. There are divisions
between countries, divisions between political parties and within parties, divisions between neighbors, divisions
within families and divisions within church. These divisions cause great sadness and there seems to be no end in
sight, only greater animosity and conflict. All of these divisions are a sign of the evil one at work in our world.
Satan is the source of lies and fear and division. Those are the tools of the evil one. If we have been involved in
deepening those divisions and spewing negativity toward others, then we have allowed ourselves become tools
of the evil one.
We have all been wronged in big and small ways – perhaps it was many years ago and maybe it was just
yesterday. When people betray us, lie about us, deceive us and fail to honor our friendship, we can act in ways
that deepen the conflict or we can follow Jesus’ message to love them and pray for them. The important first step
that Jesus teaches us is that we have to pray for those who have hurt us. Rather than stewing in our hurts, we
must begin by turning to God.
There is a simple practice that has been taught in spiritual circles for many years to help people with
arriving at forgiveness. I offer it to you so that you can begin the process of healing in your own personal
relationships.
Here are the steps:
Enter into the presence of God. Look lovingly toward God and imagine God looking lovingly toward you.
Offer to God the person who has offended you. Name to God all the things that bother you about this person.
Pause and listen to what God has to say.
Offer to God all the things about yourself that you imagine bother that person.
Pause and listen to what God has to say.
Ask God to bless that person – his or her life, family, marriage, vocation, health, finances, etc.
Pause and listen to what God has to say.
Ask God to bless you fully.
Pause and listen to what God has to say.
Many Christians burn and rage about the big systems – government, political elites, culture, secularism,
social media, and the faceless “they”. The scale of the problem becomes paralyzing and leads to a negativity
about life. The problems are so much bigger than we are and cannot be solved by us alone. Angry declarations
about others do not change anything and may make the present state even worse than it already is. Yet Christ has
invited us to be a reconciling people, a healing people, a people who live the mercy he brought to the world. Like
Jesus, we must move away from thinking about “us and them” to seeing all peoples as loved by God and invited
to be God’s children. We must learn to listen to the deep hurts of others before we begin our counter arguments.
We must be open to learning from people who are different from us.
We sing, “Let there be Peace on Earth” with great emotion, but does its feeling even last to the point
where we are in our cars following Mass and heading off to our next destination? Have we let the first step of
peace begin in our hearts? Can we create unity rather than division? Can we begin with prayer?
Peace,
Fr. Damian