The Journey 286: Nobel Peace Prize 2012
Read: Mathew 24
The announcement of Nobel Prizes is looked forward by people all over the world, and one of the Nobel prizes that the world pays attention is Noble Prize winner for Peace. Nobel Prize for peace has been won by a number of well known individuals like Mother Teresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu and so on. But this year the nobel peace prize was not awarded to any individual but a bloc of nations– European Union. European Union was given the Nobel Peace Prize this year for its effort to promote reconciliation, human rights, peace and democracy in Europe. The awarding of peace prize to European Union is very notable because at this point of history, the union is going through severe crisis. Though the union has been able to prevent any outbreak of war outside its borders, yet there is lot of simmering tension among the nations that make this union. At present the Bloc is going through a number of issues that tend to rip the union of different countries apart. The debt factor has increased and this has resulted in threatening the common currency Euro, used by almost 17 its countries. There is tension between north and south and the rate of unemployment has also soared. Thus it is almost like a war zone out there in the Bloc, but the efforts of European Union has helped to transform a continent of war to continent of peace according to Nobel committee spokesperson. The European Union today has grown from its initial union of six countries to twenty seven. Though Nobel Peace Prize Committee has its own rationale to award the peace prize to European Union, there has been a strong reaction though from different corners of the world in awarding peace prize to European Union, each stating and having their own reason for their opposition in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the Bloc. But whatever be the perception of others, the Nobel Prize committee has acknowledge the efforts of European Union especially in building up of a collective effort in forging union among warring nations. I think this is what is needed today in the world. In an age where individual, family and even countries tend to go it alone, with the concept that I am self sufficient and I don't need others, awarding of peace prize to European Union is not only recognizing that it is not fragmented approach that is the need of the hour but a systemic approach, where every person in the world, every society, community and country grows in awareness that without the other, we have no future. I believe this is a principal that has also been espoused in the Word of God and what God requires from us is to promote inter connectedness thus bringing about a sense of unity among the diverse people and culture and also a sense of union among nations.
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Mathew 24. This is the portion where Jesus Christ conveys signs that is in opposition to the rule of God and the establishment of Kingdom of God. Jesus states that there will be a number of self proclaimed people who will act and behave as if they are Christ. Along with this self deception, Jesus also warned that there will be disunity among nations and there will crisis in all the front, with people going hungry and the occurrence of natural disasters. Thus sign of disunity and factions gearing for war and creating an environment of distrust among nations and people are signs that are in contrast the reign of God’s rule in this earth. Paul in his second letter to Timothy also states that as God’s rule on earth is resisted, what happens is that you have in the world, people who are narcissist, and ones who love money, who will brag and instead of promoting friendship and fellowship will bring others down. Paul further states that their focus will not be God but themselves and this attitude will cause lack of forgiveness among people, acting often out of impulse and form relationship that are loathsome to God. [ 2 Timothy 3: 1-6]. What is important about the truth that both Jesus Christ and Paul stressed is the fact that one of the signs of opposition to God’s reign is people attitude in living all by themselves, driven by forces of passion and selfish interest without taking into consideration needs of others nor concerned that we are supposed to live in harmony and in an attitude of inter connectedness with others. Nobel Peace Prize to European Union is stressing and recognizing this fact and importance of inter connectedness in this world. As Christians let us also run away from our selfish, individual focus to a more comprehensive focus on God and the unity that He wants to bring about in this world in the ultimate quest of establishing His reign on earth
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla
The announcement of Nobel Prizes is looked forward by people all over the world, and one of the Nobel prizes that the world pays attention is Noble Prize winner for Peace. Nobel Prize for peace has been won by a number of well known individuals like Mother Teresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu and so on. But this year the nobel peace prize was not awarded to any individual but a bloc of nations– European Union. European Union was given the Nobel Peace Prize this year for its effort to promote reconciliation, human rights, peace and democracy in Europe. The awarding of peace prize to European Union is very notable because at this point of history, the union is going through severe crisis. Though the union has been able to prevent any outbreak of war outside its borders, yet there is lot of simmering tension among the nations that make this union. At present the Bloc is going through a number of issues that tend to rip the union of different countries apart. The debt factor has increased and this has resulted in threatening the common currency Euro, used by almost 17 its countries. There is tension between north and south and the rate of unemployment has also soared. Thus it is almost like a war zone out there in the Bloc, but the efforts of European Union has helped to transform a continent of war to continent of peace according to Nobel committee spokesperson. The European Union today has grown from its initial union of six countries to twenty seven. Though Nobel Peace Prize Committee has its own rationale to award the peace prize to European Union, there has been a strong reaction though from different corners of the world in awarding peace prize to European Union, each stating and having their own reason for their opposition in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the Bloc. But whatever be the perception of others, the Nobel Prize committee has acknowledge the efforts of European Union especially in building up of a collective effort in forging union among warring nations. I think this is what is needed today in the world. In an age where individual, family and even countries tend to go it alone, with the concept that I am self sufficient and I don't need others, awarding of peace prize to European Union is not only recognizing that it is not fragmented approach that is the need of the hour but a systemic approach, where every person in the world, every society, community and country grows in awareness that without the other, we have no future. I believe this is a principal that has also been espoused in the Word of God and what God requires from us is to promote inter connectedness thus bringing about a sense of unity among the diverse people and culture and also a sense of union among nations.
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Mathew 24. This is the portion where Jesus Christ conveys signs that is in opposition to the rule of God and the establishment of Kingdom of God. Jesus states that there will be a number of self proclaimed people who will act and behave as if they are Christ. Along with this self deception, Jesus also warned that there will be disunity among nations and there will crisis in all the front, with people going hungry and the occurrence of natural disasters. Thus sign of disunity and factions gearing for war and creating an environment of distrust among nations and people are signs that are in contrast the reign of God’s rule in this earth. Paul in his second letter to Timothy also states that as God’s rule on earth is resisted, what happens is that you have in the world, people who are narcissist, and ones who love money, who will brag and instead of promoting friendship and fellowship will bring others down. Paul further states that their focus will not be God but themselves and this attitude will cause lack of forgiveness among people, acting often out of impulse and form relationship that are loathsome to God. [ 2 Timothy 3: 1-6]. What is important about the truth that both Jesus Christ and Paul stressed is the fact that one of the signs of opposition to God’s reign is people attitude in living all by themselves, driven by forces of passion and selfish interest without taking into consideration needs of others nor concerned that we are supposed to live in harmony and in an attitude of inter connectedness with others. Nobel Peace Prize to European Union is stressing and recognizing this fact and importance of inter connectedness in this world. As Christians let us also run away from our selfish, individual focus to a more comprehensive focus on God and the unity that He wants to bring about in this world in the ultimate quest of establishing His reign on earth
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla