The Peacemaker

“Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation.

Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.”

In Indonesia, there is a famous proverb “Tak kenal maka tak sayang”, which literally means “(You) don’t know (the person), therefore, (you) don’t like (him/her)”. This proverb is used to teach the people that unless we learn to understand one another, we will not be able to honour or appreciate one another.

St Francis understood this concept well. That’s why, when most people would fight in the war to show who is more powerful, or who is right and wrong, St Francis chose to see the bigger picture. He saw every person as God’s beloved creation. Whether we like it or not, we were created by the same God. The one who created that annoying, disturbing, disrespectful, ungrateful person is the same God who created me. If I am grateful to God for my life, how can I not try to love everyone and everything that God has created.

Francis understood this and chose the way of dialogue with Sultan Malik al-Kamil. Their encounter is still the inspiration for the interfaith dialogue, and today, Assisi is recognized as the city of interreligious dialogue, the city of dialogue as St John Paul II brought all the world’s religious leaders here to speak about peace in 1986.

We are God’s people. We are created in God’s image and likeness. We are created to be loving and forgiving. Are we living it?

For Reflection,

• With the people that you have difficulty to be at peace with, do you have a chance to get to know him/her? Do you understand why he/she is ‘like that’?

• How about your friendship with yourself? Have you made peace with yourself? How much do you know about yourself?