World Peace achievable?

In this period of austerity, natural disasters, famine, earthquakes, man-made disasters such as those facing Japan; various war-torn zones or riots around the world; we are, as a global nation, in need of good news.

I received an email this morning, with the following quote that seemed a timely prayer – especially as I hope peace can be celebrate in Libya tonight. The quotation was not attributed to any author, but in a couple of clicks on the web (isn’t technology wonderful!), I found that it was normally attributed to Mother Teresa (but perhaps the original author was St. Thérèse de Lisieux – whom Mother Teresa greatly admired).

There has never been a better time to wish for peace: Peace in the world, peace amongst individual groups and peace in our own hearts.

I give you this poem, prayer and tribute:`

“Today may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”

I recall meeting Mother Teresa back in 1970 and recall what presence, charisma and gravitas she possessed. Although small in stature she exuded a real sense of calm, kindness and charity. As a young girl, I was impressed by her story and message that we are all here to fulfill a purpose. She shared details of her work in India and motivated all whom listened to her to raise funds for her charity work. Needless to say, her talent to recruit support for her missions was impressive. By the time of her death she had opened 610 missions in 123 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children’s and family counselling programs, orphanages, and schools.

She received numerous awards, including a number from the Indian Government, one of which was the Bharat Ratna (1980), as well as international awards, such as the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Whilst we are all “busy” in life, rushing from errand, to family duties to work assignments let’s schedule time for fulfilling the goal to bring about peace. Achieving world peace may be a tall order for most, but peace in your home is surely achievable? You may not think your actions will make any difference, until we have peace within our families and our communities and most importantly ourselves, no politician will ever have the power to bring peace.