Read by Janice Camañan on the Occasion of the Launching of the
2014 Mindanao Week of Peace
We call on the name of our God, the God of Peace,
the God and Father of all peacemakers and peace-builders,
the God of the Christians, the Muslims and the Lumads,
the God of all religions in whatever form or persuasion,
the God even of those whose restless hearts continue to seek Him;
As we gather here together, we commit ourselves:
To create pathways and bi-ways,
where the spirit of our living God dwells in the
authentic expression of mercy and compassion,
of justice and righteousness, of charity and peace;
We enjoin all the members of God’s family
transcending race after race,
nation after nation,
neighbour after neighbour,
family after family,
person after person,
and in the deeper sense, heart after heart—
to build bridges, to form authentic relationships, and
to forge ties that seek no personal gain
but collective aspirations toward our common humanity.
And in our community here in Ateneo de Davao University,
we call on and invoke the name of our universal God,
the God of knowledge and eternal truth,
the God whom eternal peace dwells,
and together we appeal for the spirit of truth
to enlighten us in understanding,
that it is in God’s peace, and in His peace alone,
where true happiness and compassion rest.
We appeal for an end to violence and conflict,
in our communities, especially here in Mindanao,
an end to misunderstanding and division,
and an end to injustice and discrimination;
We exhort upon the name of our living God,
to teach us to speak the language of forgiveness,
the language of peacemakers and peace-builders,
especially those among us who had to pay a high price,
so that the struggle to attain justice lives on—
even in times of seeming hopelessness and brokenness;
We exhort upon our heart of hearts—
the inner sanctum of our being,
to hear the murmurings of God’s peace,
the kind that taught the prophets of old,
to speak on God’s behalf, and only on His behalf,
never failing to live with dignity and courage,
that God’s kingdom might be made manifest in
whatever manner, and in whatever ways it may be found;
And as we make this appeal,
we ask God to make this, our community here
in Ateneo de Davao University,
truly a community that nurtures peace,
and that by living the demands of this eternal peace
we may be truly called God’s children.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of His most Holy Spirit,
Amen.
(by M. Isabel S. Actub, 26th November 2014)