Mantra For Peace With Iraq (from Catholic Relief Services)

Catholic Relief Services ^

[SteveSB]

Mantra For Peace With Iraq

For months now, congregations have been praying that our elected officials find a peaceful solution to Iraq's threats. Now that war has started, the hearts and minds of people of faith turn to all people who will be affected by this war...

The prayer below is a gentle, hopeful reminder to our elected officials of our continued prayer that they seek peaceful solutions to the conflicts in the region.

This is my prayer for you:

Be an instrument of peace. Peace with justice. Peace with hope. Peace without war. Amen.

Why a mantra? A prayer recited over and over again becomes a mantra. And so, this little prayer, recited on voice mails, sent in note cards, faxed and e-mailed, repeated regularly by a vast number of people, can become a steady, gentle, powerful mantra for peace.

How to deliver this prayer:

In person. Call the people who most need this prayer and leave it on their voice mail or recite it to the person who answers the phone.

By mail.

By e-mail or fax. See contact information above for elected officials. Invite others to join this peace mantra by e-mailing this page.

In prayer services. Bless one another with this prayer and recite it together. Provide the note cards, envelopes, stamps and addresses and allow time for people to personalize, sign and address their prayers. Collect them and mail them.

In personal prayer. Visualize a person who has the power to lead us from the brink of war as you quietly repeat this mantra.

Persistently and with faith. Consider committing to deliver this prayer daily to one or several people who need it.

[SteveSB]

Excited by this concept, I've put my own Montras in CRS envelops (instead of a donation, until they cut this nonsense out). Examples:

We are not Hindu, so we don't say mantras: we use a Christian vocabulary. We don't "visualize," because we are not New Age. Our mission is to give relief, not to advocate the bombardment of public officials with simplistic drivel. We believe in original sin, and the necessity of Christ: as none of us are without sin, and most do not believe in Christ, it necessarily follows that we will indeed have wars from time to time.

And so on...

[knarf]

To that my brother I say Amen.

[Unam Sanctam]

I give regularly to CRS, but this is just ridiculous. I shall send them a sound tonguelashing for trying to be political activists rather than purveyors of charity.

[PaxMacian]

You obviously have no hope for peace in your word.
Therefore, you must not have much faith in the Lord or his word.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

'mantra' and 'prayer' are essentially equivalent words.
Simple semantics will not obscure the truth of the word
nor the power of prayer.
Catholic from Late Latin catholicus, from Greek katholikos: universal.

[LadyDoc]

Why a mantra? A prayer recited over and over again becomes a mantra.

But the "mantra" here is not a prayer.

A word said over and over again merely puts one into a state of deep concentration AKA hypnosis. A mantra that says "be at peace" has nothing to do with God. You are in deep concentration to be at peace with yourself, so this would be only a "prayer" to oneself...

[PaxMacian]

Ro 16:20 And the God of PEACE crush Satan under your feet speedily. The grace of our Lord JESUS Christ be with you.

It is not just a word, but a string of words, an
incantation, a prayer in correct form as it asks
only for the fulfillment of God's will and prophecy.
It is therefore, self-less and not self-realization
exploration through satanic psyches focusing of the
mind on nothingness, the void (kingdom of satan)

1th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1th 5:23 And may the God of PEACE himself sanctify you in all things; that your whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord JESUS Christ.

[LadyDoc]

My point exactly. The "mantra" here is "Be an instrument of peace. Peace with justice. Peace with hope. Peace without war."

If it was a prayer, it would be: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. O Lord, may we have the justice that leads to peace. Give us the hope of your salvation. May you send us peace, and keep us from tribulations and war.

The aim of this "mantra" is for us to feel good: religion/prayer as a fuzzy feeling, and essentially we are praying to ourselves.

The aim of the second is to place ourselves in humility before the Lord, and ask for his help. And we ask that he uses our hands to promote peace.

[PaxMacian]

Though your words are good, they detract from the purity of this prayer which probably brought the word mantra into play. I respectfully disagree with your take, only because it is already a given that Jesus is the prince of peace. Therefore, "be an instrument of peace" becomes a conscious declaration to oneself of devotion and service to Jesus Christ. The three following declarations respectively represent peace as regards the law, faith, and acts. It is elegant wordcraft and most certainly inspired by God.

[LadyDoc]

"be an instrument of peace" becomes a conscious declaration to oneself of devotion and service to Jesus Christ. The three following declarations respectively represent peace as regards the law, faith, and acts. It is elegant wordcraft and most certainly inspired by God.

maybe, but all the stuff about "BE this and Be that reminds me of the national geographic show: BE THE CREATURE...

there is absolutely no mention of God in this. And hypnotizing yourself to "be at peace" is cheap grace.

Self affirmation via hypnosis is NOT the prayer of quiet. Indeed, the "centering prayer" may or may not be a prayer. A mantra may or not be a prayer. Saying the rosary may not be a prayer. reading the bible may not be a prayer.

Prayer is "lifting one's heart and mind to God"...I don't see God in all this, merely a yuppie gazing at his or her belly button and saying peace peace. And then feeling superior to us low types who actually tried to do something about it, but don't fell so uppity and pious.

[PaxMacian]

"actually tried to do something about it"

You mean an act, as an action in the field of war.
Where there is little hope for peace, we ignore
the law of our foundation and act to make war.

"Prayer is "lifting one's heart and mind to God"...I don't see God in all this"

I don't think you see God at all, for if you did you would die to this world and be born again into the Kingdom of Heaven. The prayer is certainly full of God's grace. You simply do not presently possess the will to see it. You have been blinded by iniquity and are seeking recompense instead of salvation.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"Though your words are good, they detract from the purity of this prayer which probably brought the word mantra into play. I respectfully disagree with your take, only because it is already a given that Jesus is the prince of peace. Therefore, "be an instrument of peace" becomes a conscious declaration to oneself of devotion and service to Jesus Christ. The three following declarations respectively represent peace as regards the law, faith, and acts. It is elegant wordcraft and most certainly inspired by God."

Then why did they not say it like you did???

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Great analysis.

[PaxMacian]

"Then why did they not say it like you did?"

I assume that the softer words translate better into other languages.
But, for me anyway, the correlations were instantly obvious.
Each word seemed to expand from itself
to form bonds with each other and to the whole sentence
as it relates to the Holy Spirit.

Be an instrument of peace. = Be a servant of Christ.
Peace with justice. = Peace within God's Law.
Peace with hope. = Peace with faith in our Savior.
Peace without war. = Peace in our actions toward enemies.

[LadyDoc]

You mean an act, as an action in the field of war.

yup. I was once a doctor caring for patients during civil war in a nasty part of the world,

The UN has sat back and watched 240 thousand Muslims be killed in Bosnia, and because Russia would have vetoed UN intervention, it was the USA--unilaterally-- under Clinton who stopped this massacre. And the UN sat back and watched 250 thousand Muslims be killed in Iraq, and because France would have vetoed UN action, it was the USA who unilaterally under Bush who stopped these murders. And it was mainly Australia that stopped the murder of the Christians in East Timor.

And believe me, it is the UN who sat back and ignored the murders in Cambodia, Ruanda, and in numerous African civil wars for the last 20 years.

No, peace peace is a nice thing to mantra and feel self righteous about, but when you have had friends killed treating people in hospitals, and when you have friends taken out and shot by bad guys, then maybe you see there IS a time for valid defense of the innocent, and see these self righteous "oh I'm for peace" types as merely blind to the evil in the world.

[LadyDoc]

I apologize for being so nasty, but I am leery of holier than thou pacifists. If you read thru the rhetoric, this group is being holier than thou for people who support the war in Iraq, and crowning their anti american snide remarks with a mantra to make their pacifism sound like it is holy. It is not. I suspect this was written by a bureaucrat and professional leftists who has a cushy job in church bureaucracy.

Some "pacifists" are living in a safe place, where "pacifism" is easy. They never have to face war. They believe in sweetness and light. They might change their mind if they ever had to face danger, like the peaceful passengers of the Pennsylvania flight on 911 who went from easy going family men to heroes.

Some "pacifists" are ex soldiers who are so shell shocked that they say never again. But they forget that others will do it again, which is why the pacifism after WWI led to people willing to ignore Hitler and give him anything rather than go to war in 1937.

Some "pacifists" are machosists, who turn the other cheek because they are weak and don't have the courage to defend themselves or others. They are cowards who give pacifism a bad name.

Some "pacifists" aren't really pacifists, they are merely anti American. This includes many like the French and some in the Vatican who opposed the war in Iraq, like Cardinal Martino and the World council of Churches. They oppose war if it is a war by the USA under the guise of Pacifism, but will support "people's liberation movements" that kill thousands of innocents, as long as these killers are leftist socialists.

Some "pacifists" are saints. They recognize evil and openly oppose it. They lament war, but will go into war zones to protect the innocent. When atrocities occur, they will stand firm in opposing it non violently. I've met this type. These are the Mother Teresa's that rescue retarded children from a hospital being shelled in the Lebanese civil war. These are the priests who risk their lives investigating and publicizing human rights violations. These are doctors who go into war zones to treat the sick and wounded of both sides. They have a deep moral authority because they are strong and prayerful.

It is because I have met real saints who spread peace that I find this type of self indulging mantras so ridiculous and shallow.

[SteveSB]

The discussion appears to have missed some points:

1. They are trying to shut the Government down...and they are being coy about it. They are using "prayer" as a secular political tool. This is quite clear if you read the page, and it was even more clear in their original posting during the lead up to the war.

2. Words are carriers of meaning. For lots of reasons, it is important to use a Christian and Catholic vocabulary on the official web site of an official part of the Church.

3. Jesus is indeed THE Prince of Peace: until all honor Him, there will be no peace.

[SteveSB]

It is you that must not have much faith in the Lord: if you want to view the issue in this way. (Although this approach is always futile: claiming to know the heart of a stranger.) Do you believe that it matters if one is Christian, or atheistic, or Muslim, or Hindu? Is EVERYBODY is the Prince of Peace? Is something separate from Christ? Is there no free will to choose a religion of war? Or are all religious are the same?

The passage you cite is within the context of believers in the God of Israel...and in Jesus. The New Testiment goes on to give countless verses dedicated to the vital and unique importance of Jesus Christ, to warn of false religions, to warn of "the world" (i.e., that part of the world not under the dominion of Christ through the choice of those who reject Him), and to tell us that even at the end there will be wars...until Christ returns.

I not only do I have a HOPE for peace, I have a CERTAINTY of peace. The Peace of Christ in my heart; peace in eternity for those who persever; and peace on earth when Christ returns.

[DarthMaulrulesok]

Uh.. I am not a Christian, but:

"Beware those who cry peace, peace when there is no peace" - Isiah.

What would those who cry and pray for peace have us do? Should we be like the Pharisees who passed by on the other side when they saw a wounded man? Especially if his assailant was threatening us? If it was necessary in any event that we go to Iraq to stop the WMD, was it not good that by so doing we liberated millions of people from an evil dictatorship? If not, why?

Christian pacifists, I await your reply.

[PaxMacian]

Firstly, I can not find that quote you posted in Isaiah.
I read over every occurence of Peace in Isaiah

Isaiah 57:19
I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

You might have been thinking of one of the following lines
from Jeremiah. However, you would be taking it way out of
context.

Jeremiah 6:14
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Jeremiah 8:11
For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Regarding your questions:
"If it was necessary in any event that we go to Iraq to stop the WMD..."
If it was necessary, then we made it that way in the first place?
"...was it not good that by so doing we liberated millions of people from an evil dictatorship?"
Was it not good that we propped him up and empowered him to commit his evils in the first place? Was it good when we undercut OPEC through Kuwait as they sucked oil out from under Iraq and then suckered Saddam into believing we would have no part in conflict in the region. Then showcased our military by turning a couple hundred thousand men back into dust in the desert with our WWII surplus bombs. Was it good to leave him in power, then, to commit more evil acts? Do the ends justify the means? Is there truly cause for celebration when what is rightful is restored?

[PaxMacian]

The UN is not my Savior.
The UN is a toothless tiger,
a debating club which the leftist
media constantly advertises
as something other than a
bunch of unelected bureaucrats.

"see these self righteous "oh I'm for peace" types as merely blind to the evil in the world"

Luke 7:21
And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.