December 24, 2024: Gift Peace to the World

Imagine if we gave the Prince of Peace, as Jesus has been called, the perfect give on the anniversary of his birth:  the gift of peace in the world.  That was my wish every year on Christmas Eve as I wrapped presents to my kids and listen to the news of the latest war.  Lately, I have been going to bed with the sounds of children crying under the Gazan rubble, then the sounds of silence as they died; seeing the picture of a young child ambulating on a roller skate because he no longer has legs.  

This show on Christmas Eve, 2024 is for Christians and non-Christians alike.  It is a rant against war, genocide and regime change coups--all I have known for 64 years, or more than 83% of my life.  I am tired of war.  Like suicide, it is a bully; a thief; a narcissist; a manipulator; and a wrecker of homes, families, and communities.  It takes our loved ones; those it doesn't take it leaves physically and/or morally disabled.   I can't speak for anyone but myself, and I say, "Enough is enough."  

So far, I have woken up every 12/25, and wars and genocides and regime change coups are waging.  But I still hope.  What do you have when you give up hope.  In the words of Fr. Daniel Berrigan, "Doing something is better than doing nothing."  Wage Peace.