A Light to the nations ...
2nd Sunday A
Cobh
18 January 2026
My friends,
Unless I’m mistaken there is a strange mood in the air. Even though there are so many good things we enjoy in life, there is a mood of uncertainty about what might happen next, mostly because a few world leaders whose aim and purpose is to control more and more of the world’s resources. The anxiety and fear that worldwide mood evokes, trickles right down to the citizens of virtually all nations. The truly tragic reality is that the world has experienced this kind of military threat and build up toward war many times in our recent history – those who choose not to learn from our history are sure to repeat its failures.
To their credit, leaders after World War II, vowed that such conflict and destruction would never happen again. So, overtime the United Nations was established to ensure ongoing contact between nations to prevent new conflicts. As we know, many other entities related to the functions of the U.N. developed overtime. Sadly, we have arrived at a point where all those international forums have almost become toothless and ineffective.
Looking back at the men and women who did that peace building, so many were committed Christians who brought their faith vision to bear on their work. Probably the clearest statement of that work was to be found in the, Declaration of Human Rights, the core of which Universal rests on the belief in the equal dignity of each person and from that flow, their right to food, clothing and shelter.
When war takes hold, victory at all costs takes precedence over all other rights. The tragedy of current conflicts is that they are being pursued after the longest peacetime the world has known. My friends, the concluding verse of Isaiah’s word to us is the Lord’s promise,
“I will make you a light to the nations
So that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6
Sadly, across the centuries Christians have been at both sides of many conflicts. In the process creating scandal, bad example and poor witness to the Gospel of reconciliation and mercy given to us by the Lord Jesus.
This failure and scandal was recognised and acknowledged by virtually all Christian churches and groups in the 20th Century, and for over 60 years now celebrate Christian Unity Week from January 18th – 25th each year. Its aim is to heal the wounds and hurts of history and to nurture a more credible and shared witness to our faith in Christ Jesus. The work of Ecumenism is not confined to these eight days. We know from experience over the years, the change in atmosphere and rapport between people of different faiths. We include this work of reconciliation in our prayer today. We pray especially, also, for those in political leadership across the world – for courage to prevail in the demanding task of making peace – a peace that will surely fail if it isn’t just. We pray for a change of mind and conversion of heart, of those in leadership of wars, that the suffering of the individuals and families may move them to a desire of reconciliation and peace. Failure to do so, will result in the horrors of war being inflicted even more on the meek of the earth.
