THE TABLET DECEMBER 31, 2005

Peace Depends on Truth

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we come to the close of 2005 and the beginning of the New Year, I am reminded that the first day of the year for the last three pontificates has been declared a World Day of Peace. Pope Benedict XVI, in his first message for the World Day of Peace, takes the theme: "In truth, peace."

How important is the conviction that wherever and whenever men and women are enlightened by the truth they naturally set out for the path to peace. The path to peace is often arduous. It leads to the making of many sacrifices in order that peace may be experienced. The Holy Father reminds us that peace is not just "the mere absence of war, but rather a harmonious coexistence of individual citizens within a society governed by justice, one in which the good is also achieved, to the extent possible, for each of them."

The enemy of peace among people is dishonesty and lies. The Holy Father recalls that from the beginning of human history, as Genesis tells us, there was an animal with a forked tongue, the father of lies, who disturbed the original peace that God intended for humankind. It is the same lack of truth that in our own day and age continually disturbs peace among individuals and among nations.

As I said, peace demands sacrifice. The Holy Father's message quotes from the Second Vatican Council when he mentions those in military service in the nations of the world: "All those who enter the military service to their country should look upon themselves as guardians of the security and freedom of their fellow countrymen, and in carrying out this duty properly, they, too, contribute to the establishment of peace." How important this is for us to consider as we anguish over the war in Iraq and the sacrifice of more than 2,000 of our own military men and women and over the more than 30,000 Iraqi citizens who have lost their lives in this terrible conflict. The tension, for the most part, is due to the untruth of terrorism.

The truth of peace, the Holy Father says, "continues to be dramatically compromised and rejected by terrorism, whose criminal threats and attacks leave the world in a state of fear and insecurity." John Paul II and now Benedict XVI clearly condemn terrorism as an act that destroys the truth of human goodness. It is hard to remember a time when the world felt itself at peace, but we never will find peace unless we come to understand truth among the relationship of nations.

As a nation we have often prided ourselves as being an open democratic society that seeks to find the truth in all circumstances. Many times the foundations of our society, such as the media, organized religion and our government leaders themselves, must find a path to peace by embracing truth. But, what is truth? It is a question that Pontius Pilate asked Jesus because he did not believe in objective truth, but rather only the truth that would extricate him from his politically difficult situation. Truth is objective, truth can be found and truth must guide our actions.

As we begin the New Year, let us pray that we will find the path to peace by finding the truth. It is again an exercise of putting out into the deep, guided by Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace. As we invoke Her on the first day of the year, She becomes the Star of the Sea, which guides us in the cause of peace.