Yes, many things need to be said on this topic and your homepage is a powerful way to get the word out.  It requires much prayer and deep reflection on the condition of the world,  human history and our individual potential to do good or to do harm. War is human nature at its worst, the madness of the fallen world. It was into this same world that God sent our Redeemer.  I could not help but see the parallel in Mautaz's reply to Gramma's words on peace: He asked us to look at the image of the boy in his father's arms and what I saw was the Pieta , Christ in His Mother's arms.  For our Lord was murdered too, not for what He did but for what He was. He was like us in everything except sin, that is, He died without Himself having committed sin and that is the difference.  He died without hate, or  revenge, or seeking to kill but said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing."  Is humankind capable of this forgiving love?  Can we love others as we love ourselves?  Not do to others what we ourselves dislike? Is the Model of how God wants us to love a great pipedream or is God demanding a radical reversal in our human tendencies? Is it pointless to lay down your life for a friend and to love your enemies? NO, because the great mystery of the cross does not end in death but in resurrection.   Whether it is Jerusalem 2000 years ago, Northern Ireland, Native issues in Canada,  or the Middle East today, we individually and collectively share the responsibility to love our neighbor.  This is the radically powerful, radically simple message for ALL God's peoples-- Muslim, Jew, Christian, Bhuddist, Hindu, and Pagan alike!  Failure to love is the failure of peace. The powerful, greedy and domineering imposing their will on the powerless, poor and marginalized  is the pattern which must be broken throughout the world, not just in the Middle East, but in all cultures. The peoples of the world must continue to strive for policies and actions which promote the respect and worth of every individual and all communities whatever the race, creed, or custom.

So much for my sermonizing.  Sorry.  But in the words of John Lennon's IMAGINE: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....."