Fire Bombing In Montreal; We Need More Peacemakers

[@Birkguitars]

Many years ago the IIRA planted a bomb in a public bin in Warrington. There were two fatalities. Both were young boys. The father of one of those boys became active in the peacemaking process working with organisations trying to bridge the divide in Ireland. He invited to a public event speakers one of whom was Martin McGuiness. It is widely known that McGuiness had been actively involved with the IRA before his political engagement through Sinn Fein. By the time of this event the peace process was gaining traction but was not embodied in formal agreements or political structures. Inviting a Sinn Fein representative flew in the face of formal government policy and much of public and press opinion so he faced severe criticism, anger and hostility. When asked why he answered simply "we don't make peace with our friends". That step was one of the bravest, most noble and powerful actions I have ever seen. McGuiness was actively involved in the organisation which killed his son but he was able to see and act above that. He recognised the need for something bigger that could transcend his personal tragedy. He was a peacemaker.

[@DarrylsB]

Blessed are the peacemakers

[@angelikalindenau943]

They have their hands full...

[@sertandoom4693]

Problem is when "children of God" act like children but not the good kind.

[@sdgakatbk]

I like the quotes around children of God. There's a lot of people who explicitly seem to indicate they are God's children. Some maybe do this implicitly. In the end, it is God who says who is a child of God and who is not.

[@kayallen7603]

JUST STOP. ❤❤

[@sertandoom4693]

@@kayallen7603 Stop what?

[@deborahb6294]

@@sertandoom4693 - Stop the violence! Peace on Earth

[@kimmihelitch9849]

Oh my gosh that's horrible. I'm praying for that congregation and community. 😢 ❤ ❤🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@Jam-m7m]

Give peace a chance ☮️ ❤

[@ad-dx9gi]

Peace is the only answer... Where I live a lot of houses have signs that say "Hate has no Home Here".. Love and Peace is the only Answer..We definitely need more Peacemakers in the world... God Bless 🕊️

[@InTheLight54]

Where I live in the very rural part of my state, there's a lot of trump supporters who love to hate.

[@Kathleensailorgirl]

Merry Christmas blessings to all and praying for peace in the world 🌎🙏🙏🙏🕊🕊🕊

[@joycebrackbill-henderly8311]

I'm so sorry to hear this. We need prayer warriors!! Prayer is far more powerful than many think. Let's join in prayer 🙏

[@ADude-f3z]

Prayer is certainly a worthy alternative to violence, but setting an example is more powerful still… I get the feeling that if we were to pray for a solution, Christ would say that he has already given us one…

[@XenobiaF]

I pray for peace. 🙏🏼

[@tjwbanter]

I am totally of like mind and heart when it comes to violence. It solves nothing, promotes hatred, and only brings more violence. It's circular. But so is love. Jesus, to me, loves us, wants us to love him and each other. ❤ Amen, Reverend Ed.

[@lisacox8109]

Violence is violence just sad. Amen my friend 🙏. Give grace a chance. From Indiana US

[@lindaSmith6588]

The war thing may not work, but you need to be careful you're making peace and not surrendering to terror.

[@sdgakatbk]

Tyrants don't want peace. An agreement becomes appeasement. Like Chamberlain before WW2. The same thing is true with Trump. Ben Meiselas on MeidasTouch says give Trump an inch he'll take your life. There's truth to that though not just with Trump. It's true of all bullies or dictator wannabes.

[@We-will-defeat-them]

Good point. In an ideal world everyone would be good. Unfortunately, in our current world some people have very problematic idealogical beliefs.

[@rutha1464]

Pray for His kingdom come, His will be done. Pray for peace and leave it in God's hands. We are not of this world.

[@sdgakatbk]

I've had interactions where I've seen peace made, at least in my heart. One of them was with a deacon in a church who I really wanted to come to blows with. I left that church. I prayed a lot for him and his family. Then after some years, I heard a sermon in another church, actually the one I currently attend. I left and went to the old church. The person was still there, now greeting people at the door. We talked a little about it. He remembered the event. I don't know if it is really complete on my end or if I really expressed things right, but it was a very good conversation and we ended up talking about other things afterwards. I stayed for the sermon which was about reconciliation(!)

[@libbycollins9349]

You must have a heart open to the promptings of the Spirit. Well begun!

[@davidroberts9037]

AMEN 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 Blessed are the peacemakers. So true

[@stewarttiley9683]

I always quote the Beatitudes first and foremost to anyone regardless of their beliefs, because like all of Christ’s teachings, they are undeniable!

[@FrankNSense-t8t]

Too many hawks on every side of every issue recently, the doves are drowned out, derided even. Well said Rev.✌️

[@Stillwater23-q5r]

Thank you Rev for your words about peace. This Christmas I made up with my maga friends I hadn't spoken to since the election. Its not easy for me, but I did feel that is what our good Lord would want. We have to navigate this somehow in the years ahead, and we have to try all we can to make peace, at least in our little corner of the world💓💓💓

[@BeeWhistler]

You don’t notice peacemakers because peace is soft, quiet, doesn’t attract notice. Sadly, this can lead us to think there aren’t any. I realized that I notice the bad drivers in traffic, forgetting how many more people have to be driving well, or we wouldn’t get anywhere at all. God is not dead, nor doth he sleep. You may think there’s no peace on Earth, but right will prevail, peacefully or not at all. We all need to be peacemakers in our own spheres.

[@davidellis4084]

Sorry to hear about this. This is NOT right regardless of the reason!

[@markfullerton7666]

It is a never ending cycle, protest peacefully to get your message across.

[@dianah3204]

Happy Hanukkah & Merry Christmas! People are acting far out of the norm as the internet has made aggressive behaviors seemingly ok. I’m a peaceful person, and abhor violence. Morals, values, good samaritinism, the whole list needs to be taught from the get go! Keeping the World in prayer for peace 🙏❤️

[@kariburlon5790]

My heart aches for them. 😞

[@helenalderson6608]

We need to pray for the peacemakers, that they'll be inspired to transcend the tally and see the way

[@ScottJohnson-tk7ql]

Blessed are the Peacemakers, whether peace breaks out today or not.

[@dunngee]

Dont repay evil for evil

[@drums3269]

I used to live on the West Island in Montreal for about a year. I'm surprised as it's generally a safe area, as is most of the city. Prayers for all involved. 🙏

[@mwaldyke]

I think you do have an idea how to make peace, and you’re doing it. Be the change you want to see in the world. Within your sphere of influence you are demonstrating peacemaking. Others will see it and follow your example. Keep doing what you’re doing, and trust that it will advance the cause of peace.

[@extremescreenwriting1404]

It was a more peaceful time when we never discussed politics or religion. Staying focused on what we have in common rather than our differences might be a starting point. Merry Christmas to all! 🎄🎄🎄

[@lolowilderkind]

Never discuss sounds a bit like censorship. Merry Christmas ❤

[@extremescreenwriting1404]

​@@lolowilderkind LOL! Censorship is oppressing words considered 'offensive'.' 'Never discussed' was out of respect for allowing everyone to have their own beliefs, affiliations and viewpoints. Perhaps I should've used the words 'rarely discussed'. Better to focus on what we have in common. Frankly, I don't think it's anyone's business what my beliefs or yours are.....

[@sdgakatbk]

@@lolowilderkind I don't know about censorship, but not discussing a real problem or difference can be denying the elephant in the room. Avoiding doesn't make the problem go away. An obstacle is that a lot of people cannot discuss contentious things peaceably. It's exacerbated with Trump but it didn't start with him.

[@trappedinamerica7740]

I don't agree with your post at all. Not talking about it is akin to not paying attention to it and that's how we got into this mess. Talk to inform people. Talk to tell the truth. The good reverend here does talk about politics as well as religion and he should. People need to stop being oppressors and seeking to have power over others. We are going to talk about it!

[@extremescreenwriting1404]

@@trappedinamerica7740 In my generation it was considered rude to ask someone's religious or political party. If you wanted to discuss it, you could. No one was 'oppressing' anyone. The only oppression I'm seeing is today's society raging at their neighbors for being different religiously or politically to the point of division and hatred. If someone doesn't agree with you, they're instantly 'the enemy' whose beliefs need to be eliminated. That's oppression!

[@tjwbanter]

It's about forgiveness... "As we forgive others"

[@michaelcherry8952]

In addition to the standard "two wrongs don't make a right", one of my Mum's favourite quotes was "Blessed are the peacemakers". Sadly, there are people in this world who will jump onto some cause or other solely to cause havoc and chaos. I call them "protest hooligans". They are similar to the football hooligans who "support" a particular team only for the excuse to incite violence. It's why a lot of peaceful protests end up with violence. All it takes is a few protest hooligans and the work done by the majority peaceful protesters is completely ruined. The story becomes the violence, not the message of the protesters.

[@davidsantor1760]

And an almost belated Merry Christmas to all .

[@kellyharper367]

🕊

[@Diana-wt4ny]

How heartbreaking. 😢 Sending prayers 🙏

[@jaloria]

It's difficult to reason with multi-generational hatred, because for some it's all they have ever known. not just in palatine and Israel but is still going on all over the world. Is in our back yard here in the states, even amongst those who should know better, if they profess to follow Christ way.

[@kayallen7603]

OMG!! I hope no one was hurt.❤❤

[@taylorharrell1516]

We need more love and peace, my heart aches, but i have hope for the future

[@elizabethbrennan7012]

Thank you, Father.

[@kevinjohnson7839]

Sad thank you ❤Amen

[@PeaceProfit]

Hymn of the Martyr If you oppress me, my words will gather strength, If you imprison me, my words will grow in power, If you embattle me, my words will turn destruction against you, If you kill me, my words will haunt your grandchildren's, grandchildren, * * * If you embrace me, my words will fade into yours, as yours fade into mine, my lips will speak of you, as yours speak of me, Together we build tolerance, understanding, compassion, trust and truth, Divided we foster only fear and kill only trust, divided we know only the death of the other, Together we understand and know our lives, and embrace the Hymn of Peace for our grandchildren's, grandchildren. Pro💜Love 👣🕊👽

[@hollishurd4464]

AMEN

[@willcool713]

Merry Christmas! If I may offer a thought often overlooked: People today generally believe that people with opposing views to them must be ignorant, obstinate, or evil. It seems a generally held belief that explaining alone should be enough. And it's also assumed that if explaining doesnt work, it's only because of wilfull ignorance or other anti-social, oppositional behaviors. My point is that it seems forgotten now, that people can be good and kind and worthy, and at the same time can be beyond another good person's understanding or imagination. We ourselves are imperfect and misunderstand others. Each of us unknowingly does the same which we might condemn in another. It's part of the dynamics of cognition, and most all of us are not capable of telling ourselves the constant truth of that. So we have to remember to be forgiving of others, so as not to fully condemn ourselves.

[@jtsimmons3133]

Amen. It starts with me.

[@joycebrackbill-henderly8311]

And me...

[@jasonx3933]

Amen.

[@VicGeorge2K6]

There can be NO PEACE WITHOUT THE PRINCE OF PEACE. If people don't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they can never really know peace.

[@ScottJohnson-tk7ql]

Happy Christmas to all! Joyeux noel a tous!

[@KevinRhyne-z7i]

It's cowardice! They haven't the courage to sit down, face to face and attempt to resolve anything peacefully.

[@maudieg8459]

Thé individuals who do the violence are enacting their personal agenda. They hate for whatever reason. I agree with your point that what is missing is groups getting together to talk out these conflicting issues. I personally have no idea about the viewpoints of members of Jewish synagogue communities where I live. It would be easy for me to decide they are bad people because of the Gaza situation. Somehow we have to develop a mechanism for open public discourse between religious groups, between political groups, between members of social movements. If we don’t understand one another, we can easily resort to hate.

[@dunngee]

Forgiveness

[@susanzoff6236]

🕊️ Thank you.

[@nctrailcam81]

Thank you.

[@aprilcalhoun8984]

My past to peace has been to work towards a more egalitarian society. This comes from a documentary I saw about an archaeological prehistory dig where you can see the evidence of an over class being watchful and suspicious and controlling of the under classes. You can also see where it ended in bloody revolution and the entire site was abandoned. It left me with a strong impression that we have to find a way for everyone in society to feel that they matter, and that they contribute and that they are valued.

[@cheryldeboissiere1851]

Merry Christmas 🎄, Season’s Greetings ☃️, Belated Diwali 🪔 and Chanukah 🕎, Happy Holidays to the rest...

[@angelikalindenau943]

That was sad, places of worship should be sacred

[@michelegyselinck5400]

I know that synagogue. I pass by it on the bus sometimes on my way to a shopping mall after getting my hair done. It’s a conservative congregation. I’ve never been inside, mind you. I don’t know anyone who would invite me to attend services there, but I recognized the name.

[@rochellemcdonald9646]

The people who are hating don't think about how much it costs their pocketbooks. Insurance rates go up for property or life. The fire department and the police are called. Their services cost. Vandalism raises the prices of the goods for the place that was vandalized. Injustice, Intolerance, Indifference, and Inequality Co$t US All.

[@sandytaylor7320]

🙏

[@BarbaraZG-82849]

Such a tragedy 🙏🙏

[@janwilliams5285]

🕊️🕊️🕊️🙏🙏🙏🕊️🕊️🕊️

[@ADude-f3z]

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, when confronted with problems, we sought after solutions, rather than focusing on who to blame?

[@silverghostcat1924]

Never understood how people can be both anti-Semitic and pro- Jesus. Jesus was Jewish.

[@TraceyScruggs-wk7ru]

Merry Christmas Rev Ed

[@sean2797]

The issue is the peacemakers dont have the power to stop war, because peacemakers dont want power! They want to exist and flourish, and recognize all contributions to mankind.....

[@michelegyselinck5400]

Protesting against the situation in Gaza doesn’t justify firebombing a synagogue in Canada. 1:10

[@obviousalias9506]

He's not claiming it does. He's attempting to cite some of the weak excuses people who do such things like to offer.

[@michelegyselinck5400]

@ I know. I wasn’t criticizing him.

[@t45-i8c]

I'm surprised you didn't blame Trump!

[@naninickynino]

Pope John Paul II declared anti semitism to be a serious sin. It is..

[@TheLakingc]

How do we get to where we will listen to each other and validate each other? It's like adults need to learn how to think as adults.

[@KarenJoseph-o5u]

What ever happened to the old adage "live and let live."

[@JM-jacknthegreen]

Maybe forgiveness would be a starting point to peace. A willingness to empathize with others might also be helpful I don't know, just some thoughts that came to mind.

[@contrafax]

Over humus and bread !

[@robsquared2]

Part of the blame I think goes to the US house who equated antizionism with antisemitism.

[@antirrhinum130]

People are entrenched in their beliefs and they want resolution but only if it favors their side.

[@c1886]

Amen, I don't think any peson has the answer.

[@aaronanytime8897]

I am going to try my best to convince the demons to come to the light but I have a strong feeling it is not going to work; I've been in direct contact with many of them and I don't see it happening.

[@pamparker4047]

How awful 🥺

[@DPass-u6s]

Eye for an eye is religious doctrine.

[@contrafax]

Look to The British and Irish model.

[@rev.leonidasw.smiley6300]

John 13:34

[@hiltonwatkins6750]

The path that Trump, MAGA, Netanyahu, Putin, Orban, and many more…. leads to a violent end. What is wrong with the silent people who know what history has taught us. Religious passion rooted in entitlement seems to be a common theme…

[@Aqualyra]

All this violence and forcing their views onto others does is make others resent them and their cause, or worse.

[@AndreaSwiedler]

Im so very tired of all this nonsense. It is spreading across the globe.

[@dennisproulx3215]

Tres Mauvais! Mon Dieux! Pour les Christiens, toutes les personnes sont Mrs amies! Juieve, Muslim, etc. ils sont les enfants de Dieux et les amis de Christ. Paix! Merci pour votre pelicular!

[@confusiondelusion4569]

Does Israel want peace? It could have been there's for the having if they wanted it, "vengeance is mine" is a quote my Mom threw

[@Aqualyra]

There have been many peace initiatives starting from Israel but the PLO and others rejected them. The Christian Palestinians have mainly fled here due to extremist Palestinians driving them out. We have a huge diaspora of Lebanese Christians who came here because of extremist Palestinians flooding Lebanon in the 1970's. Hamas is a terror group that used all the UNRWA money meant to feed the people, on weapons and underground tunnels. That said Bibi & Likud are doing Israel no favours. There are protests in Israel all the time against Bibi who has been trying to make himself above the law. May God bless the extremists on both sides to give up extremism and be peaceful and be willing to share the Holy Land instead of throwing the others out.

[@Jeff_Cheney]

Pax vobiscum

[@MarcosElMalo2]

One thing we can do is be careful in our language. The terrible acts being committed by the IDF and the Netanyahu government in Gaza do not constitute genocide, if the word genocide is to mean anything. Genocide has a definition, and when we do not follow that definition, we are using inflammatory and hyperbolic language rather than accurately describing the terrible reality on the ground. Misusing words for sake of generating outrage amplifies violence. It justifies terrorist acts and reinforces bigotry. Learn what genocide means and the conditions that meet that definition.

[@nevannarence6542]

id like to know how you think that what netanyahu is doing doesnt constitute as genocide. dont get me wrong as far as im concerned the fire bombing should have never happened. the person to blame the gaza tragedy is netanyahu not every day jews. but i do consider his actions against the people in gaza to be genocide. as he is focusing on civilians not hamas and moving in his people to steal gaza from the Palestinians.

[@We-will-defeat-them]

I agree. It’s really sad what’s happening but it’s a war not a genocide.

[@nevannarence6542]

@@MarcosElMalo2 definition of genocide from oxford dictionary the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

[@barbpfister77]

😮 Why? Just a hateful heart and mind.

[@nevannarence6542]

the people attacking every jew for the crimes of Netanyahu are wrong. His crimes are for him to suffer for. bombing synagogues in other countries is just straight up wrong. the gaza tragedy is just basically turning gaza in to warsaw from the past. its revenge and i really wish that we could stop living in the past and using it as an excuse for continued violence. so many things in the past were tragic and we need to learn how to not repeat them but we cant do that by going the hatfield and mccoys.

[@markpashia7067]

This is end stage capitalism and it is also a sorting where people are showing their foundational philosophy. This is a test and the human race as a whole is failing but there are many sparks of morality amongst the flames of destruction. Peace requires morality, justice, and above all hope for a common future. We must pray that these trials convert more souls to the peaceful path rather than the irrational selfishness of capitalism. Those who really believe in a next life will chose eternal life over greed today but it is the harder path for sure. He created a world where there is enough for all but some are driven to horde wealth at the expense of their neighbor and from the tiniest village to the global whole it is all a test to sort the sheep of Christ's words to the goats of damnation. We all are responsible for our own actions and what we support. I for one am satisfied with my path and will answer for my choices, but too many do not believe and fear death. Strange part is that the more they fear it, the more likely they are to find it. At least according to most faiths and belief systems. Death here on earth and eternal death in the flames of failing. Justice is more than a word and we need to learn it and trust it. Justice gives hope and makes morality easier to trust. Good luck to one and all in this season where it should be front and center but is not this year it seems.

[@harvwiberg7414]

I don't want a world where people hold on to hate. That said I just did Christmas with my grown children with thier trump tree . I did it I had to not be that person today. I hope they see that because I don't throw a fit about thier tree and thier beliefs but found our common ground. Movies we all love around the holidays etc. I know it's a small step but it's a step

[@lolowilderkind]

Amen