A special mass to celebrate World Day of Peace in Dublin has been told that our country’s increased prosperity has brought many blessings, but not peace.
Fr. Ciaran O’Carroll, Parish Priest of Saggart/Rathcoole and homilist at the Mass said, that while Ireland has witnessed an unprecedented increase in wealth over the past decade, in 2006 the country witnessed a frightening and shocking increase in murders and gangland killings. Fr. O Carroll said President Mc Aleese has accurately noted this as a ‘hideous and ugly development.’
In his homily Fr. Carroll also referred to the fact that the congregation gathered on a weekend that had seen the execution of Saddam Hussein and increased tension in Iraq and the Middle East, provoking debate on the issue of the death penalty. “We gather at a time, “said Fr. O Carroll, “When each of us has a heightened consciousness of the need for peace.”
Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin presided at the Mass at Saint Patrick’s Parish Church, Ringsend(start 11am). This was the fortieth celebration of the World Day of Peace and the Mass was attended by the Taoiseach, the Lord Mayor, representatives of the political parties, members of the judiciary and diplomatic corps, the defence forces and gardai. The theme for this year’s World Day of Peace was The Human Person, the Heart of Peace – the message of Pope Benedict for this year.
In his opening remarks Archbishop Martin spoke of the values of community which, he said, are typical of old Dublin city communities like Ringsend. These values, he added, have contributed to social peace and progress over the years: strong family sense, good neighbourliness, hard work, care for the elderly. “These are values which are never out of date and which we cannot afford to loose”, the Archbishop said. “. We have to propose these to the new generation and lead them to reject a culture of exploitation and self centredness”. Archbishop Martin urged all in Ireland to work to ensure that 2007 would be “the historic year which will mark a new time of peace in Northern Ireland and new bonds of understanding between North and South”.
Fr. O Carroll said peace was a gift from God, but was also a process where harmony is created between individuals and communities. Participation in this process he added, called for an unfailing commitment on the part of all, not just governments and church leaders, but community activists and individual citizens. He said we are all asked to make a
social commitment to build relationships of justice and peace in out homes, communities, countries and the world for 2007.
Later his homily Fr. O Carroll referred to the need to heighten out consciousness on the need to respect the human person and respect the environment in which we live. He said the race for energy supplies globally was blocking development in some parts of the world. “The destruction of the environment, it’s improper or selfish use and the
violent hoarding of the earth’s resources cause grievances, conflicts and wars, precisely because they are the consequences of an inhumane concept of development” said Fr. O Carroll.
New Year Peace Homily 2007 – Ciarán O’Carroll
We gather this morning at the dawn of a new year in our capital city for the celebration of a Mass for peace. Our country has witnessed an unprecedented increase in wealth over the past decade. Increased prosperity has brought many blessings. Sadly peace is not one of them. We have witnessed this past year a frightening and shocking increase in murders and gangland killings in our city and country. The number of such gang related murders reached over twenty this past year. Such violence, as our president noted in a recent interview, is ‘a hideous and ugly development ‘.
We gather in the wake of a weekend that witnessed the execution of Saddam Hussein – an execution which provoked widespread debate on the issue of the death penalty – a weekend that witnessed an intensification of violence in Iraq and increased tension in the Middle East.
We gather at a time when each of us has a heightened consciousness of the need for peace. Realising that peace is a gift from God we pray for it today. But peace is not only a gift it is also a process – a process whereby harmony is created between individuals and communities. Participation in such a process calls for an unfailing commitment on the part of all – not only governments and church leaders but community activists and individual citizens. All of us are called to make a resolution this new year’s day – all are asked to make a social commitment – to build relationships of justice and peace in our homes, communities, countries and world this year 2007 .
Today then at the beginning of a new year we pray for the gift of peace.
It is appropriate to ask ourselves the question – what constitutes peace? Peace is not merely the absence of war, nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies. It is founded on a correct understanding of the human person and requires the establishment of an order based on justice and charity. Peace is the fruit of justice It is based on respect for the rights of all . It presupposes respect for human rights – so emphasises Pope Benedict XVI today in his New Year’s message.
There is no peace and there will be no true peace in our city and in our country where there is disregard for human rights; where children suffer violence and abuse; where there is incredible cruelty and violence exerted by those who seek to profit from the suffering and addictions of others.
There is no true peace in a city where a 22 year old woman is shot dead at a party in north Dublin as happened last March – when a 24 year old was murdered here in June apparently ‘by mistake’; where a Latvian immigrant is shot dead at the door of her home in Swords while her children sleep upstairs, where an apprentice plumber is killed by gunmen out to murder a suspected drug dealer. The perpetrators of such violence demonstrated a complete disregard for human rights and human life. Such disregard for the value of life must haunt and fill all right thinking citizens of this city with a sense of horror. Dublin deserves better and Dublin is capable of doing better, as Archbishop Martin noted last month . Such incidents of both random and targeted violence are sadly replicated in many larger towns and cities in our country – from Limerick to Belfast. We need to reassert our respect for human rights and we need to do it now.
Our President has emphasised the importance of building bridges. The Pope in his New Year message speaks of building peace. Politicians from all parties on this island have long been engaged in what has sometimes been a difficult quest for peace. Building peace takes time, sacrifice and personal commitment. As a Christian, working for peace can never be separated from announcing the Gospel which is in fact the ‘good news of peace’ . Living out this good news requires commitment and perseverance. The promotion of peace in the world is an integral part therefore of what the church is about in continuing Christ’s work of redemption on earth .
If we truly desire universal peace we must heighten our consciousness of, and respect for, the link between respect for the human person and respect for the environment in which we live. The close connection between these two can be understood from the increasingly serious problem of energy supplies. In recent years, new nations have entered enthusiastically into industrial production, thereby increasing their energy needs. This has led to an unprecedented race for available resources. Meanwhile, in some parts of the planet development is effectively blocked, partly because of the rise in energy prices. What will happen to those peoples? What kind of development or non-development will be imposed on them by the scarcity of energy supplies? What injustices and conflicts will be provoked by the race for energy sources? And what will be the reaction of those who are excluded from this race? These are questions that show how respect for nature is closely linked to the need to establish, between individuals and between nations, relationships that are attentive to the dignity of the person and capable of satisfying his or her authentic needs. The destruction of the environment, its improper or selfish use, and the violent hoarding of the earth’s resources cause grievances, conflicts and wars, precisely because they are the consequences of an inhumane concept of development.
As a global community Christ’s message of love challenges us to promote a humane concept of development. As a Christian community we must move to a stage of forgiveness and reconciliation with respect to the mistakes of the past. As a faith community on this New Year’s Day we remember all those who work for peace – especially those who work for peace in the land where Jesus was born and in the surrounding countries of the Middle East. Once again we begin a New Year in a spirit of hope – hoping for lasting peace in our own country – hoping for global reconciliation and peace. We thank God for the efforts of all those who have worked for peace and a stable national and international political framework. We pray for enduring success to their efforts. We pray for social peace within our society, peace between individuals and peoples – peace in our hearts, homes and countries.
May Mary, whose feast day we celebrate today, show us, in her Son, the Way of peace. May she enlighten our vision, so that we can recognise Christ’s face in the face of every human person.
Finally let us never forget that the task of fostering social peace is one entrusted to all. We all have a responsibility to work for peace in our community and to strenuously defend the dignity of the human person. This responsibility is both mine and yours. What better way to remind ourselves of this responsibility than by recalling and living this New Year the words of St Francis of Assisi who wrote:
Make me a channel of your peaceWhere there is hatred let me bring your love Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord And where there’s doubt, true faith in you
Make me a channel of your peaceWhere there’s despair in life let me bring hope; Where the is darkness, only light; And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
