During his All Saints Day Angelus talk to the throng in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis spoke of the saints and how the Beatitudes are the “identity card of the saints”. I focused on the virtue of humility last week; this week let’s talk peace. During his Angelus talk, the Holy Father had quite a bit to say about the seventh Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers”:
Brothers and sisters, let us look within and ask ourselves: are we peacemakers? In the places where we live, study and work, do we bring tension, words that hurt, chatter that poisons, controversy that divides? Or do we open up the way to peace, forgiving those who have offended us; do we care for those who are at the margins, do we redress some injustice by helping those who have less? This is called building peace.
I couldn’t agree more with Pope Francis on building peace. I’d like to add that being a peacemaker is also about tuning out the peddlers of hate and division and those who make a habit of scapegoating the least among us. This Advent season, let’s work on tuning out the hate peddlers, turning toward the Lord, and building peace.
Working together, we can help take care of our common home.
Paul Litwin
Saint Francis of Assisi at St John the Evangelist 