Today, we hear from the first letter of Peter. In great wisdom, this reading asserts that our salvation was paid for us not by things of the world such as gold or silver, but rather by the blood of Christ. We have our new life in Christ not in the perishable things of this world, but in things that are eternal and divine. While we see things in this world that are beautiful and that catch our eye, it is the word of God that endures forever. That is where we are called to put our faith and trust.
Today, we celebrate one of the great shepherds of our Church from the 20th century, Pope Paul VI. With the death of John XXIII, Paul become pope in 1963, in the middle of the Second Vatican Council. His papacy lasted for more than 15 years, until his death in 1978. His papacy has left a lasting legacy in our Church in the modern world. Being Pope at the height of the Cold War and in the midst of the Vietnam War, he addressed the United Nations in New York City in 1965 with these famous words: "No more war, never again war. Peace, it is peace that must guide the destinies of people and of all mankind.” To foster common bonds with all persons of good will, he decreed an annual day of prayer for peace to be celebrated on January first of every year. To this day, each pope issues a prayer message for peace on January 1 in St Peter’s Square. Pope Paul VI is famous for this statement which has become a cornerstone of Catholic Social Teaching: “If you want peace, work for justice.” To me, this message of peace and justice is what I remember most about Pope Paul VI. It is a message I thought of often in my missionary work in different places, including teaching at Greenville High School in the Mississippi Delta, because I certainly saw that as a work of peace and justice. May we never forget this message of peace and justice that is a part of our Catholic faith.
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