Houses of peace
In his first World Day of Peace message on Jan. 1, Pope Leo named the kind of peace we yearn for today as a “disarming peace” that was first announced by the angels to the shepherds when they sang, “Peace on earth and goodwill to all.” This peace announces, “the presence of a defenseless God, in whom humanity can discover itself as loved only by caring for him,” Pope Leo writes. “Nothing has the power to change us as much as a child.”
This was certainly true in my family as the camera phones on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were all focused on Adelaide, my 18-month-old great, great niece and three-year-old Will, my great nephew, as they opened their presents. The world’s power is disarmed by innocence, by compassion, by humility, and Adelaide and Will commanded everyone’s attention and brought hope to all who watched and reveled in their joy.
Perhaps it is precisely the thought of our children and of others who are equally fragile that “cuts to the heart,” Pope Leo writes. He quotes Pope Francis who said that “human fragility has the power to make us more lucid about what endures and what passes, what brings life and what kills. Perhaps for this reason we so often tend to deny our limitations and avoid fragile and wounded people” because “they have the power to question the direction we have chosen, both as individuals and as a community.”
While his focus is on the disarmament of weapons, Pope Leo warns against “the growing temptation to weaponize even thoughts and words.” He is not only speaking of the weaponization of our language that leads to cruel and callous remarks and even hate speech, but the language of faith that is too often dragged into political battles “to bless nationalism, to justify violence and armed struggles in the name of religions.”
The Holy Father called for the creation of “communities where we become ‘houses of peace,’ where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished.” Pope Leo encourages all people to “support every spiritual, cultural, and political initiative that keeps hope alive,” and to promote groups and organizations — like our Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation — that offer “experiences of nonviolence participation and practices of restorative justice on both a small and large scale.”
He concludes his World Day of Peace message acknowledging, “We live in times of fear and division, building walls that separate us from one another,” and prays, “Send us your Spirit, Lord, to rekindle within us the desire to understand one another, to listen, and to live together with respect and compassion.”
As a congregation committed to the charism and spirituality of the blood of Christ, may we be intentional in deepening our commitment to reconciliation through listening and dialogue as we practice “the disarmament of heart, mind, and life” that leads to division, discord, and polarization, making sure our mission houses, parishes, schools, renewal centers, and all our places of ministry are “houses of peace.”
Fr. Joe Nassal, C.PP.S.
Vice Provincial Director