Pastoral meditation: co-creating the world

I have always been struck by the fact that Jesus does not call people to be peacekeepers, but peacemakers. One of the most vivid biblical images of God’s world is the “peaceful kingdom,” in which people and animals who seem to be natural enemies are friends and playmates. I notice that it’s often harder to imagine peace than it is to imagine war. War and violence give us images of action, of people doing things. How do we do peace? It should be clear to us that in this world, peace is not just something that happens. This is why we are called to make peace, to be artisans of peace. Part of this work is identifying things that destroy peace and to work to remove them: things that are unfair, things that are unhealthy, laws that are unjust… and to co-create a world of peace. But again, how do we do peace? What happens in the peaceful kindom?

• In a world of peace, children could play and explore safely without risk of violence, abduction or being hit by a car.
• Everyone would have the possibility of going to school and studying what they wish.
• Human activity would work together with the natural world instead of against it
• Churches would be renown as the ultimate socio-spiritual resource instead of being perceived as a place of judgment or even worse, abuse.
• Activities done for fun and relaxation would lead to healthy social and individual well-being instead of fostering isolation, detachment and despair.