Pray for the gift of peace for all those facing conflict.
Each of the individual squares are sewn together to create the communal quilt.
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
When we think about loving others, we might think of the affection we have for family and friends or showing kindness to strangers. It is much more difficult to respond to Jesus’ radical invitation to love those who have hurt or mistreated us.
With an internal armed conflict lasting more than 60 years, many Colombians know violence at first hand. The peace agreement signed by the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) guerrilla group in 2016 was a historic step, but the conflict endures, now in increasingly fragmented and complex ways.
In a situation where choosing love can be challenging, CAFOD’s partner, the PDP (Peace and Development Programme) works in Magdalena Medio in western Colombia, to foster a culture of peace.
In 2025, the PDP facilitated an intergenerational project: a colourful quilt, symbolic of peace and reconciliation. This communal activity allowed participants to reflect on shared experiences of joy and pain. The process of creating the quilt, stitch by stitch, served as a powerful reminder that peace is built little by little.
Despite their differences, participants agreed that only through communal action can new paths to reconciliation be opened.
Prayer
God of peace,
we pray for those who suffer
because of violence and conflict.
Make us a people of peace, who, one step at a time,
seek to bring hope to our world.
Amen.
Act
Join us as we pray for peace in our world today.