“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”
I would like to understand if God gave another clue when He told Abraham that his generation would be as the stars of the sky, especially in a world like today where those stars don’t live in peace.
What is a peacemaker in a world like today? The fourth Mark of Mission of The Episcopal Church is “to seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.”
The kingdom of heaven as announced by Jesus is the best way to describe that none of the structures known then as kingdoms applied to where the followers of Jesus belonged. In the world today in 2015, where democracy still is the best structure but imperfect, can we declare that we are citizens of a government of heaven?
That vision is hard but is needed to be a peacemaker. Nations cannot be Christian, nor should they try to be. Redemption is a personal gift. It has nothing to do with the Hellenic vision of a unified empire under a unique religion. It was not true when the Roman Empire killed Christians and Jews with that purpose. It was not true when non-Christians were killed in the name of Christianity. It was not true when slavery was justified. It is not true when violence or fear is used instead of love. The world is not in peace because of all those open wounds.
This Lent I want to be a peacemaker. I ask for the opportunity to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.
-Fernando Hermoza
St. John's Church 