Peace and Justice Conference

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 9/23/04)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the Peace and Justice Conference at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington on Sept. 18.

My brothers and sisters, we do well to gather today to consider the defense of life, the advance of justice, the promotion of peace and the fostering of solidarity. Peace, after all, is a scarce commodity of late. Russia witnessed just three weeks ago today an act of terrorism that left the world mute. In Iraq, car bombs routinely threaten the peace. Here in Northern Virginia, not a day goes by when we do not give at least some peripheral thought to the harsh new realities of terrorism. Our hearts are troubled, and we crave peace. We yearn for it, but do we understand its relationship to justice, to solidarity and to the defense of life?

We would do well, it seems to me, to revisit those well-known words of Pope Paul VI, "If you want peace, work for justice." Today’s conference will explore the relationship between peace and justice, one which Pope Paul VI pointed to in these words. After all, peace is one of the fruits of justice. Justice has to do with right relationships, the right ordering of individuals to one another and to the whole of society. As a virtue, justice consists in the constant and firm will to give to another what is due.

What is due to another in our present society?

Fundamentally, a respect for life — as the ground upon which all other programs and policies — needs to be built. To foster and promote a culture of life, as Pope John Paul says in "Evangelium Vitae," is not an option, but a requirement of the Gospel. To be unconditionally pro-life, from conception until natural death, is nothing less than being just to one’s neighbor, whether that neighbor is the defenseless person in the womb or the person already born. To be pro-life is to respect life at every stage — thus, the Church works to ensure that all persons, regardless of age or chronological or mental development, are recognized as beings of intrinsic worth and value. The Church works to remind those in positions of executive, legislative and judicial authority that the policies, programs and laws they enact should correspond to the natural law and respect the inherent dignity and rights of human persons. As I and my brother bishops said in our June statement, "It is with pastoral solicitude for everyone involved in the political process that we will also counsel Catholic public officials that their acting consistently to support abortion on demand risks making them cooperators in evil in a public manner" ("Catholics in Political Life"). In this way, the right relationships that our laws, both natural and civil, establish within society lead to the flourishing of justice and peace.

How is this to be done? How can we work to establish justice and that peace that flows from right relationships? The first reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians reminds us so beautifully that personal virtue and its cultivation is necessary if we are to be just persons. "Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Phil 4:8). To consider the excellence of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and gracious, and to strive after these things leads us to pursue a life rooted in moral virtue — an excellence of character, whereby our actions shape who we are. In turn, our identity as persons of good, sound character enables us to perform just acts — both in our individual, personal lives and in the life of society as a whole.

What results from this active pursuit of virtue and willingness to enter into right (just) relationships with our brothers and sisters is peace. St. Augustine understood peace to be the "tranquility of order," that is, the tranquility that comes from people living and acting in accord with the truth and with justice. Peace is certainly the fruit of our actions and choices. But the Gospel offers a reminder that peace is also a gift from God — a gift that the Lord Jesus gives to those whose hearts and minds are centered upon His word and intent on doing His will. Our Lord and Savior says to us, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (Jn 14:27).

Such a gift of peace is a gift that transcends what the world can offer; it is a gift that allows us to be hopeful in the midst of crisis, to be unafraid when faced with challenges, to be secure in the grace and presence of God when it seems that our efforts to advance human dignity and rights are not bearing the fruit we might expect or desire. God’s gift of peace enables us to continue the struggle for justice in our communities, our nation, and the world itself without giving in to discouragement or despair.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we must work for peace on earth. So, in light of our faith, we must wholeheartedly commit ourselves to building a peaceful and just society.

In order to bring this about, first and foremost, we must pray. Prayer must underline everything we think, speak and do. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: "Prayer and Christian life are inseparable, for they concern the same love and the same renunciation, proceeding from love; the same filial and loving conformity with the Father’s plan of love; the same transforming union in the Holy Spirit who conforms us more and more to Christ Jesus; the same love for all men, the love with which Jesus has loved us. ‘Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he [will] give it to you. This I command you, to love one another’" (CCC 2745). The Catechism also points out to us that "Christian prayer extends to the forgiveness of enemies, transfiguring the disciples by configuring him to his Master. Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to God’s compassion can receive the gift of prayer. Forgiveness also bears witness that, in our world, love is stronger than sin. … Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another" (CCC 2844). It is obvious, therefore, that prayer is indispensable in overcoming the evil of violence and injustice in our society. Prayer is not a luxury or a pious thought or action that we can take or leave. Prayer is essential to building a peaceful world, because it is only in prayer that we will find the correct response to violence and injustice and begin to build a peaceful world.

In a few short weeks we will begin the Year of the Eucharist. “The Eucharist builds the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist” (n. 26), our Holy Father has written, “observing how the mission of the Church is a continuity of the mission of Christ (Confer Jn 20, 21), and draws spiritual energy from communion with his Body and Blood. The goal of the Eucharist is precisely ‘communion of mankind with Christ and in him with the Father and the Holy Spirit’ ("Ecclesia de Eucharistia" 22). When we take part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice we understand more profoundly the universality of redemption and, consequently, the urgency of the Church’s mission with its program which ‘has its center in Christ himself, who is to be known, loved and imitated, so that in him we may live the life of the Trinity and with him transform history until its fulfillment in the heavenly Jerusalem’ ("World Mission Sunday Address" 2).

Yes, at times such as these, it is prudent to assess our faithfulness to God as individuals, families, communities, nations and a global family. Even in the midst of tragedy and violence, God can and is bringing good out of the evil acts of a few human beings. Our response as Christ’s disciples in these dark times is to be "lights to the world," and "the salt of the earth." Our responsibility is to point to the reality of God, the possibility of peace and the unconquerable power of divine love in these days in which evil has bared its ugly face.

As Catholics, we must form our consciences so that our response is in accord with the teachings of Jesus Christ. How are we to respond to the complexities of the international situation — from Sudan to Beslan, Russia? By fervently seeking in prayer the Lord’s guidance and wisdom in all of our actions as a nation and as individuals. By examining our behavior to see if we are acting out of vengeance or justice.

When the sanctity of human life and the common good have been attacked, we must defend these goods in a manner which is consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. As our Holy Father wrote in 2001, "To all I solemnly repeat the Gospel injunction not to be conquered by evil, but to conquer evil with good (Rom 12:21), to trust in the power of God’s grace to transform human hearts and to work fearlessly to shape a future of justice, peace and security for the children of our world" ("Letter to Cardinal McCarrick," Sept. 15, 2001).

As Catholics, we are obliged to fight evil and work for good. I offer these reflections with the hope that they will assist us in forming our consciences and responding correctly to the challenges we are facing today. "May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Mercy, fill the hearts of all with wise thoughts and peaceful intentions" (Pope John Paul II, General Audience, Sept. 12, 2001).

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