Even today we raise our hand against our brother... We have perfected our weapons, our conscience has fallen asleep, and we have sharpened our ideas to justify ourselves as if it were normal we continue to sow destruction, pain, death. Violence and war lead only to death.

Pope Francis

It is understandable that we have such good reasons to go to war, to kill and hate. It is instinctive, normal, to defend and to strike back. Also it can seem wise to strike first. I struggle with a propensity to violence, perhaps most men and yes women do as well. We do need to defend ourselves when attacked, but perhaps we need to learn another way, since our history shows that things do not improve with war, killing, rape, slavery and death. Governments can’t change things, nor politics, or the mass mind that seeks to ensnare and tell us what to think, believe, buy etc. Each human heart has the ability to listen to the Spirit of God. For as St. Paul states in Romans: The law of God is written in each man’ and women’s heart.

New International Version

“They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)”

People of all faiths and none show this to be true. The Spirit blows where it will, no religion can stop its work in each heart. Forgiveness, mercy, love of enemies is not easy, it is a struggle to slowly allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, to heal us and so lead us to love others. If we don’t learn, then we could one day rain down fire on ourselves, for a tree must bear its fruit.