peace in the hearts of all who believe in God

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We the people of the earth, of all regions, races, and religions are every one of us the children of God, who created each person to his likeness to know and love Him forever. Yet, we believers in God have often hated, hurt, and killed one another in the name of God. Pope Benedict asks us to pray for peace in the hearts of all who believe in God. He says that when a person's faith "reaches maturity," whatever faith it may be, that believers will perceive that God is the loving Father of us all, leading him or her to pursue peace with all people, regardless of their beliefs or behaviors. After all, our Savior, the Prince of Peace, commanded us to love one another, even our enemies. Sometimes we are tempted to believe the lie that because God is on our side, that He opposes others. We come to mistrust one another, isolate ourselves, and fight. We do this in our personal relationships, person against person and family against family. We do this in our cultural relationships, gender against gender, region against region, race against race, and class against class. And the worst of all, we mistrust and fight against those who hold a different faith than we do. The Pope has said that every person of good will has a duty to build a peaceful world, avoiding "confrontation between different cultures and ethnic groups." How do we avoid confrontation with others? The Pope has said that we are to put the dignity of every person foremost as we develop our economic, social, and cultural communities. We must "educate in the truth and foster reconciliation wherever there is injury." "Sincere and truthful dialogue" will help us step by step into the peace we seek. He also affirms his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, by urging prayer as a means to peace. Besides our personal and private prayers, we should pray even with those of other religions, joining together with them in asking our universal and eternal Father for peace for the whole world. "I will listen for the word of God; surely the Lord will proclaim peace to His people, to the faithful, to those who trust in Him...Love and truth will meet, justice and peace will kiss. Truth will spring from the earth; justice will look down from heaven." Psalm 85: 9-12 A prayer we say at each Mass: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. ~St. Francis of Assisi~