Friday, October 09, 2015

Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall inherit the Earth...

Jesus of Nazareth


Never, “for the sake of peace and quiet,” deny your own experience or convictions. The only kind of dignity which is genuine is that which is not diminished by the indifference of others.

Dag Hammarskjold



Tunisian quartet in file photo from 2013

This morning I listened to the editor of Peace Magazine (who knew!) speak about this year's Nobel Peace Prize winners announced early today. http://www.peacemagazine.org/ She wondered whether this coalition of Tunisian civil activists qualified for the award under the criteria set by Alfred Nobel. Her suggestion of a worthy recipient is the Japanese group which has actively opposed the re-militarization of a country which hasn't had armed forces since the end of World War Two.

You may have read that Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, was in the mix for her leadership on behalf of refugees, while Pope Francis got a nod for his advocacy of the poor and the environment. I just don't know enough about how the decision is made to comment.

I was surprised to hear that there is a legal challenge to some recent winners, because they don't really qualify. All I know is that the committee should be red-faced about awarding the prize to President Barack Obama -- what was that about?

In the end Jesus calls us all to be peacemakers, in our relationships, our workplaces, in our communities. It is good that there is a global award, but true peace resides in every human heart.

Here is a timeline of Nobel Peace Prize winners.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/world/nobel-peace-prize-timeline.html?smid=pl-share&_r=0#/time387_11187#time387_11178

No comments: