Br. Peter Gao speaks on The Silent Witness to Peace: In a world wounded by war and conflict—especially today, as two major wars rage on—countless lives are lost, and many more suffer grievously. Our Cistercian vocation, though steeped in silence and simplicity, cannot remain untouched by the cries of our suffering brothers and sisters.
Our prayer for peace is becoming even more urgent at this moment. Let us pray to our merciful Father to intervene with His almighty power, and for the Holy Spirit to enlighten world leaders to choose peace and life, not war and death. Let us live our vocation even more faithfully, so that our serene daily monastic life may be a quiet witness to reconciliation.
Let the gentle rhythm of our daily monastic life be a fragrant balm for the wounds of the world. This means allowing our prayer, labor, and silence to become offerings for the healing of the world. This means being reconciled with our brothers in community—always forgiving and bearing one another’s burdens with tenderness. Let us be lovers of peace and live in peace—with God, with ourselves, and with our fellow brothers.
Let us also draw inspiration from our Cistercian fathers. Our holy father St. Bernard teaches that the soul’s journey toward union with God is a path of purification, humility, and love. Guerric of Igny reminds us that the heart is a sanctuary where Christ dwells. In its hidden interior, peace is born.
Finally, let us turn to Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose wounds speak of mercy and whose silence before His accusers reveals the strength of love. Let us also invoke the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of peace, whose life mirrored the Cistercian spirit in many ways—poverty embraced, creation revered, and all people welcomed as kin. His prayer remains our plea:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love…”
As cloistered monks, we do not preach peace with noise, but with presence. We gather at the altar, where God becomes flesh, and offer our broken world to the Lamb who was slain. In the quiet of our hearts, we pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
#peace #trappist #monks #NewClairvaux
