CF Pages

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Salutation #52

O most beneficent LORD
and one God of all creation,
rekindle in the hearts of Thy nations
the desire for meaningful peace.


(To the Philippine Representation to the United Nations as Regards the Palestinian Initiative on September 23)

Mabuhay!

Peace, I salute you.

I bid you to act with caution.
Allow not the noble ideals of our young Republic
to get drawn into the invisible but all too real gravity
of the subtle spiritual division that exists
between Israel and Palestine.

Take no sides but the side of peace.
And the peace that takes no side but the peace;
belonging to God first and from the unity of LORD
unto the brotherhood of the nations
embracing all to the last.

Say the peace
- implicitly or explicitly -
of the one people of the Philippines
to Israel and to Palestine both.

Do not take your focus away
from both these kindred and most beloved nations
- especially in the lead up to September 23 -
and always see them as Nations first;
apart from the Common Market,
apart from the Responsible State.

Speak only for the people,
act only to address their needs,
and always be mindful in thy soul of County
of the cause for which nations exist upon this earth.

Listen to the plight of the Palestinians
and be aware of the frustrations of that nation.
Acknowledge their nationhood - first and foremost -
and the cause for which they now stand together;
recognize from the needs of our own nation
the justice it demands and the peace it requires.
Stand with them in their hour of need.

Listen to the anxieties of Israel
and be aware of the realities of their concerns.
See through 2000 years of tragedy and expectation
and place yourself beyond all that shall undoubtedly be said
- into the heart of the matter -
indeed, you must come alive to their remembrance;
make sure the nation Israel does not stand alone.

Be wary of the spirit of War
who will seek to impose upon thy reason
- by any means available to it -
its will of division
causing you to set aside the peace
for which our United Nations is founded.

Proceed from unity; speak from unity;
deliberate with unity in mind; listen with unity in mind;
provide counsel only with unity in thy heart;
act only within its bounds.

With much tenacity, courage and wisdom,
deny the spirit of War a foothold
- at least as far as our Republic may -
in that august body established
for the defense of the prevailing peace
of the one family of the nations of Mankind.

My prayers,
the prayers of all people of good will in our Country
and surely, from all the many other Countries,
spread upon their own spheres of responsibility
in this one world of ours so needful of peace,
shall be with you, Ambassador,
and with you all.
---<--@

Now is the time to stop living on our problems and begin working together toward solutions. To be able to do this, we must be able to build on agreements.

So let us make the way of our hearts clear. Let us cast off the spirit of division and break the rule of War from within ourselves. For peace has to start somewhere.

Finally, whose "side" are you on anyway?

A lot of people say, "I support Israel."
A lot of people say, "I support Palestine."
Not a lot of people say, "I support Peace."
Well, I do.
Why?
Because I love both those nations, don't you?
---<--@

Mabuhay po kayong dalawa kapatid na Israel and kapatid na Palestine! Long may our remembrance serve us. God bless us all.

The Peace of the Brotherhood of Mankind