Reflections on the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls. The Beatitudes spoken by Christ over 2000 years ago,  apply just as much to the privileged as they do to the under-privileged. We find persecution of people in high places as well as among people without any status. We all hunger for righteousness and need to be comforted at times. The Beatitudes tell us that the peacemakers are blessed. Here in The Hague, many of our parishioners are “justice and peace professionals” and are called to be peacemakers as well. In their day to day jobs, they often experience difficulty in combining idealism and passion for the good causes,  with the reality of the limitations and obstacles that their jobs present all the time. It is not that evident or easy to feel “blessed”. Being ‘’merciful’’ or showing mercy in today’s world, requires inner strength, resilience and courage. The terrible incidents in the basilica of Nice,  the invasion of the church and the attack on the synagogue in Vienna, make us all feel afraid and targeted. The priests of the Nice basilica were informed that on All Saints feast there would be a terrorist attack but were taken by surprise a few days earlier. In despair, the Pastor reacted by saying, “Now not only out of fear for Corona, but also for fear of violence, people avoid places of public worship”. How do the words from the Book of Revelations written 3000 years ago find relevance in our world today? “Who are these wearing white robes and where did they come from? These are the ones who have survived the times of great distress, they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” Over the last 3000 years, we have been asking ourselves why innocent blood continues to be shed in the name of religion, and whether we...