We Need to Pray for Peace!

By now you have probably heard that around forty hours ago, the United States of America and Israel began wide-scale bombing in Iran.  It was not long after that when Iran began retaliatory attacks (far less in number than the strikes on them). 

We are told that this is not a few bombings over a day or two.  It will be several days of coordinated bombing to bring “a change in regime.” 

I found out about the attacks when I turned the radio on to catch the national headlines at 5:00 am Saturday (February 28^th).  I then turned on the TV to learn more information.  As I watched the news, God spoke to me saying, “It’s time to have a Holy Hour for Peace.  I thought about it, checked the schedule and set 3:00 pm today (Sunday, March 1^st) as a tentative time.   

I was wondering if anyone would come.  We have a Divine Mercy Prayer Group that meets every Saturday at 8:00 am to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and a Rosary.  Some of them are the same people who typically come to our monthly hours.  I told them I was considering a Holy Hour on short notice and asked if they would come.  They immediately said yes. 

So, I sent out emails, posted the information on our parish Facebook page, and added it to the Sunday announcements.  Then I created the program and had a parishioner (one of the Divine Mercy Group volunteered – thank you!) proofread it before making copies. 

I should comment on why I chose 3:00 pm.  Of course, there were the morning Masses and we already had family faith formation scheduled from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm.  So, the Holy Hour had to be after 1:00 pm but there is another and more spiritual reason.  I chose 3:00 pm because it is the Hour of Divine Mercy.  It is the hour at which Jesus died for us. 

“It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.  Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:44-46). 

We created a program (click here) that included everything we did, well actually the Holy Spirit led me to add two prayers (just before we concluded the hour) found in the prayer section of our hymnals. 

The program included the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the following three passages containing Jesus’ own words, and one paragraph from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

• Matthew 5:21-26 
• Matthew 5:38-42 
• Matthew 5:43-48 
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2309 

If you would like to read more about what our faith says about war, please see Just War Theory on my website.  The two criteria generally at the forefront of my concern are “Legitimate Authority” and “Probability of Success.”   

Please continue to pray.  The supreme leader of Iran, along with several other leaders in his government, are dead but the attacks from the United States and Israel continue.   

We offer the following prayer that I wrote for this Holy Hour. 

Heavenly Father,  
we ask you to guide all world leaders,  
especially those involved  
in the present military attacks  
in the Middle East.   
Please guide them to do Your Will  
in every decision and action they take.   
We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Here’s an article about what Pope Leo XIV said today about the attacks, “Pope Leo XIV urges diplomacy amid Iran tensions.”

Lastly, please remember “You Can’t Fight Hate with Hate.”  Hate does not bring peace.  Only love can bring peace. 

Peace, 

Fr. Jeff