Since the early 1980's, the United Nations has proclaimed September 21st as the International Day of Peace, and throughout the world various vigils, commemorations, rallies, festivals and other ways to mark the day have been held on or about that date. And so, once again, we find ourselves preparing for another Day of Peace with hope and expectation. Or do we?

I sometimes get the impression that those of us who "work in the field" for peace, those who are on the front lines of easing the suffering of others, of promoting nonviolence, of working to re-create our own kingdoms into God's Kingdom, sometimes have the least hope for a peaceful world. I know I can get that way sometimes. Sometimes it just seems like the forces of violence and hatred abound and that there is little reason to hope.

And that's why I am grateful for prayer. When the hour is darkest, when the way seems circuitous at best, when hope is as fleeting as the quickly fading glow of a nearly extinguished candle, prayer becomes my only refuge. And there is a long tradition in Christianity which teaches that this is exactly how God wants it. That tradition is the monastic tradition, which teaches us about the need for the stripping away of all self-delusion, self-aggrandizement and self-absorption, so that we are totally and completely available to God for whatever it is that God wills for us. And there is only one way to achieve this stripping away and that is by letting God do the work through our prayer.

Here at the monastery we hold a monthly Prayer Vigil for Peace - usually on the third Saturday of the month. This is a day in which all our prayer--both communally and privately--is dedicated to the peace of the world. We pray for peace every day, but this is a way to focus ourselves, the community, and any guests of the monastery on this central aspect of our faith. I am often asked, "why pray for peace-doesn't God know that we want peace?" My answer is simple: because we are desperate for peace and, obviously, we are unable to achieve it with our own efforts.

We need God for everything. In order to live a life in God's peace and in God's love, we need God at every minute. This does not mean that peace is left to God to somehow magically produce. God has clearly left the work of peace to us. But we do need God's guidance, surety, love, forgiveness, compassion and wisdom, in order to know how to achieve peace in matters large and small. The Holy Spirit, praying within us, eventually affords us the inner peace to face our own struggles, our family's struggles, our nation's struggles and our world's struggles. It affords us this peace, so that we can become God's peace to the world. Our very being, our presence, our words, our silence, our prayer--all can and do become peace for the world. It is one of God's great gifts to us. And that is why, I believe, we should pray for peace.

So, as we commemorate this year's International Day of Peace, let us rededicate ourselves to praying for peace on our own and in our communities of faith. And let us cling to the faith that every time we pray we are becoming peace for the world. It is a hope that has inspired so many before us. Let us carry that hope into the future and cling to it even when we seem to have lost any strength to do so. Perhaps each of us could set aside some special time on or about September 21st to spend extra time in prayer. Every little bit counts! Go on and dare to hope. Pax.