MOLDING SWORDS INTO HOES INTO PLOWS

There are things that seem very big, but they start from very small things.

Pope Leo XIV invites us to remember the words of the prophet Isaiah: "They will beat their swords into hoes and plows, and their spears into sickles and reapers."

A very beautiful word, but also a very true reminder.

Because today, "swords and swords" are not just war. It can also be a word that hurts others, an anger, an indifferent attitude, a way of life that only thinks of oneself, or actions that increasingly damage the land, water sources and nature.

If you want the world to be more peaceful, you must first be more peaceful in your heart. If you want to take care of the earth, you must first appreciate what God has given you. If you want to build love, start with how you treat the person next to you.

So today, each of us tries to "mold a sword into a pickaxe".

One less angry word, one more gentle word. One less time to waste, one more time to save. One less item to use and then throw away, one more time to repair or reuse. Let's hurt each other less, have a little more sympathy. Be less indifferent to nature, have one more job to take care of trees, water sources and the land you live on.

Those things can be very small.

But when one person changes, a family changes. When many families change together, the community will also change.

Turn what hurts into what nourishes life. Let's turn division into unity. Let's turn violence into peace. Let's turn "swords" into "hoes into plows".

It is not just a call to the world. That is an invitation for each of us, starting today, from our own hearts.

From the desert to the garden. From division to communion. From violence to peace.

And it can all start with one small thing we choose to do today.

✍️ Xuan Khoa

The original Message and translation are attached!