Remembrance Day Reading

By Rev. John DePalma

Today, we pause in sacred remembrance.

We remember the countless lives touched by conflict—those who served, those who waited, those who grieved, and those who continue to carry the invisible stories of war in their bodies and hearts.

We honour their courage, their sacrifice, and the longing for peace that lived within them.

And we also remember something deeper still:

that at the heart of humanity is a shared desire to live in safety, dignity, and belonging.

As a spiritual community dedicated to transforming lives and inspiring people to make a positive difference in the world, we recognize that peace is not merely the absence of

war.

Peace is the presence of understanding.

Peace is the practice of extraordinary respect.

Peace is the willingness to listen with compassion.

Peace is the courage to be accountable for how we show up—with each other, and in the world.

And we affirm that peace is not a distant dream or something we must wait for.

Peace is found here, in this moment—through presence, through being, through the

willingness to open our hearts now.

So as we remember those who sacrificed, we also recommit ourselves to the work of

peace-making—not as something “out there,” but as a living practice within us.

May we be instruments of kindness.

May we be advocates for safety and belonging.

May we nurture the conditions where all people feel seen, valued, and free to live their

purpose.

Let us remember.

Let us honour.

Let us choose peace—today and every day.

And so it is..