In this difficult time, we come together, to express profound sorrow for the atrocities of the war between Israel and Hamas. We are all God’s children. As Saint John Paul II stated: “On almost every page of the Gospel and the history of the Church, we find a spirit, that of brotherly love, powerfully teaching peace. We find strength drawn from the divine source in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and in the sacraments. We find, in Christ, a hope. Setbacks cannot render vain the work of peace, even if the immediate results prove to be fragile. Christ the Savior associates with his destiny all those who work with love for peace.” From this moment let us entrust our hope for peace to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her to sustain our efforts and those of humanity in order to achieve peace. Let there be peace on earth…. “Blessed are the peacemakers.”