Seeking Peace — Finding Hope and Practical Steps After Violence

Introduction

Seeking Peace — Finding peace in a violent world through compassion, prayer and understanding. Mother Teresa’s line, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other,” points us directly to the heart of this devotion: community, compassion, and practical peacemaking. In the passages below we will reflect on our anguish over senseless violence, hear both lament and consolation, and consider concrete steps toward healing.

Worship Song

Make Me A Channel of Your Peace

Devotional Reading

Last Sunday’s message touched raw places in many hearts. A dear friend shared a moving, anguished response that named the repeated horror of mass shootings and the long-term scars left on families and neighborhoods. Her words remind us that grief is not only personal; when violence repeats, it becomes communal trauma.

“Hi Bill, 

We had a school shooting near Denver the same day as the killing of Charlie Kirk. These killings resonate in the worst way. Colorado has had so many mass shootings, starting with Columbine over 25 years ago. 3 different schools within 5 miles of our house; 2 other schools only 15-29 miles away. Grocery store shooting in Boulder; Aurora Theater shooting. All senseless killings by disaffected or mentally ill, lonely young men.

Every time it happens I feel horrified, sad and angry. 

I cried every day for a week after Columbine, and again when I saw one of the injured young victims in a restaurant with his family a month or so later. He was trying to negotiate a fast food meal with his injured arm in a sling and bandages on his neck.

I’ll never forget the pain and concern on his mother’s face.

My heart feels scarred and I am angry about every episode of gun violence, including politically motivated shootings. 

A call to keep kindness, just actions and humility in our hearts is fundamental, but it has not been enough to  change the violence in our culture. It is a helpless feeling. 

Thanks for listening.

Love,

Reflection

We are spiritual beings having a human experience, and the frequent recourse to force or despair points to deeper wounds — isolation, untreated mental illness, cultural devaluation of human life, and a loss of shared moral education. As Albert Einstein said, “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” These truths call us beyond protest and toward patient, steady love.

My reply to my Colorado friend was as follows:

“I share your pain, anxiety, and frustration.  My heart aches with yours.  Solutions are not readily apparent.  I do feel there is a root cause .  Unfortunately it is rarely discussed in our society.  Here is a clip that I became aware of many years ago.  It has helped me feel that I better understand the cause.  Gentle hugs to you dear friend.  Thank you for sharing.  We are all in this boat together.    Bill

Please listen to this short 93-second clip that has helped me better understand a root cause and has offered me consolation: 93-second clip.

Life Application

Scripture: Matthew 5:9 — “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Practical takeaway: This week, reach out to one person who may be lonely or hurting. Make a concrete plan: call, deliver a meal, or invite them for coffee or even better, to attend church with you.  Join or donate to one local mental-health or youth program.   Small, steady acts of care build the social fabric that restrains despair and violence.

Integrate today’s quotes  into your action:

C.S. Lewis warned that “education without values risks cleverness without conscience” — so pair knowledge with kindness.

Remember Mother Teresa’s call to mutual belonging; let that guide your conversations and your community action.

 

Worship Song

Peace in the Valley — Ernie Ford (embedded)

Acknowledgments

We thank:

• Pixabay for free, high-quality artwork.
• AZ Quotes for quotations when appropriate.
• YouTube Gospel Music for beautiful worship music.
• We recommend GotQuestions.org for further Bible study.

Final encouragement: We are all in this boat together. Hold grief and anger honestly, but let compassion and steady action shape your next steps.

Gentle hugs — Bill.