Today, we are so blessed to be able to gather here and to pray together. First and foremost, on behalf of the Myanmar community, I would like to thank all of you for your prayers and support.

I would like to start with a question: Anybody here knows about Myanmar? How many of you are familiar with the present situation in Myanmar? Please raise your hands!

It is interesting, is it not? (few hands raised) We often hear about conflicts and violence in far-off places like Myanmar, but we tend to get caught up in our own lives. It is easy to ignore these distant struggles when our daily routines take over. But we must remember that as humans, we are connected. We are one family, sharing this beautiful planet.

Myanmar's situation has grown dire since the military government took power in 2021. For nearly three years, the country has been plunged into turmoil. The military has been killing people, burning houses, and spreading violence everywhere. They invade towns and villages, forcing countless people to flee their homes. Many young people have been killed, and in response, many more have formed groups to fight back against the military. Innocent people are sacrificing their lives, and many families are forced to abandon their homes to seek refuge in the jungle, trying to find safety. This is the harsh reality in Myanmar. How many of us are truly aware of this?

There is a red car theory. Do you know this theory? Imagine driving through the city and noticing a red car. How often do you see one? The truth is, there are many red cars out there, but we only notice them when we start paying attention. The same goes for conflicts and struggles around the world. They are always there, but we need to open our eyes and hearts to recognize them.

Today, we pray for Myanmar and focus on Myanmar, a country facing tremendous hardship and conflict. Like many places around the world, Myanmar's cry for peace often goes unheard. But peace is not something we can achieve through our own strength alone. True peace comes from God, from Jesus.

Think about today’s Gospel which talks about parable of the mustard seed. This tiny seed, seemingly insignificant, grows slowly and steadily into a large tree. It symbolizes the seed of hope and peace that God plants in our hearts. This seed, nurtured by God's love, grows and spreads, even in the darkest corners of our lives. Just like the mustard seed, the peace we seek grows from the small acts of kindness and understanding we extend to one another.

We are not the creators of peace, but collaborators in God's plan. Our role is to spread this peace, to plant seeds of hope in our community and beyond.

And then, we must trust in God who is the true Peacemaker, to nurture and grow these seeds.

So, let us ask Jesus today to give us the awareness and compassion to notice the 'red cars'—the struggles and conflicts that we often overlook. Let us pray for the people of Myanmar and all those suffering around the world. Let us be instruments of peace, spreading God's love and leaving the rest in His capable hands. Remember, we are united in this journey. Together, with God’s guidance, we can bring light to the darkest places and hope to those who need it most.

Finally, I would like to conclude with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi which is a beloved and widely recited prayer that emphasizes peace, love, and selflessness. Here it goes:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

May God bless you all and grant peace to our world.

Amen.
 

Fr. Vincent Lazun Naw San (Pime)