Peace Quote: Mother Teresa

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."


We have to always remember that we are one. Although we may look different outwardly, we are one family living in a home called the Earth. The message of Chairman Man Hee Lee reminds us today how similar we are. Wars and conflicts happen because we are not able to reach an agreement or resolve such difference with words and understanding. Chairman Man Hee Lee showed through the resolution in Mindanao that agreement is possible without war. Physical war will only cause sufferings on the both conflicting parties. I am excited to see the further steps that Chairman Lee will take in order to achieve world peace and how he would apply the quote of Mother Teresa in his messages.

The Speech of Mother Teresa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

"Let us thank God, for this beautiful occasion, where we can all together proclaim the joy of spreading peace, the joy of loving one another, and the joy acknowledging that the poorest of the poor are our brothers and sisters."

This is the opening words of Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun, who devoted her life towards helping those who are helpless. She was a Christian, who believed Jesus Christ as the saviour. However, she also was a person who lived on this earth. Her affiliation with a religion did not stop her to reach out to love people of different religion. This is why she is still respected by many people, even if they do not have the same religion or do not possess the same beliefs as she did. Her example of love shows that peace is not intended for a specific group. It is intended for all and one as a whole. All peace movements must seek to accomplish unity between everyone. The World Peace proposed by Chairman Man Hee Lee does not limit to one specific group. As Mother Teresa says we celebrate and proclaim the joy of spreading peace all together. It is something that we must work and celebrate all together. As we come close to the First Anniversary of the WARP Summit, which was an event that many different groups participated to work towards peace, we must look back on how we can work together to build a peaceful world and what can we do in our own community.

Mother Teresa: Reflects on Working Toward Peace

The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace.

Let us not use bombs and guns to overcome the world. Let us use love and compassion. Peace begins with a smile. Smile five times a day at someone you don't really want to smile at; do it for peace. Let us radiate the peace of God and so light His light and extinguish in the world and in the hearts of all men all hatred and love for power. Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other-that man, that woman, that child is my brother or my sister. If everyone could see the image of God in his neighbor, do you think we would still need tanks and generals?

Peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by loving one another in our own families. If we want to spread joy, we need for every family to have joy.

Today, nations put too much effort and money into defending their borders. They know very little about the poverty and the suffering that exist in the countries where those bordering on destitution live. If they would only defend these defenseless people with food, shelter, and clothing, I think the world would be a happier place.

The poor must know that we love them, that they are wanted. They themselves have nothing to give but love. We are concerned with how to get this message of love and compassion across. We are trying to bring peace to the world through our work. But the work is the gift of God.

I noticed similar thoughts and point of views after reading different writings and songs from important figures from the 20th century and 21st century. They all propose and suggest similar solution for achieving peace. Regardless of their belief and ethnicity, peace approaches and befriends them in the exact same manner. Until now, I have been writing about the figures from the Christianity and their views on peace and from next few posts, I hope to discuss about the thoughts on peace from other religions, so that we may be able to see that peace truly is ecumenical and how it relates to the works of HWPL and Chairman Man Hee Lee. Because it seems that the wave of HWPL is spreading across the globe and it seems to be the organization with the largest activities regarding peace in this decade.