FAITH Saginaw Fall 2007 : Page 2
f r o m t h e e d i t o r I ’m not a big fan of bumper stickers. Frankly, I don’t really care if “it’s hard being a princess” or if you “brake for zombies.” But, I have to admit that, once in a while, I come across one I really do like. It bears some simple, yet loaded, words from Pope Paul VI: “If you want peace, work for justice.” That’s a big message for seven short words. Those words challenge the person who reads them. Peace, like love, is one of those words we tend to sell short. We treat them as nouns (things), when they are truly verbs (action words). We like the good feelings that are part of the idea of their message, but we shy away from the action – the labor and accountability – these words call us to. Blessed Mother Teresa once said, “All works of love are works of peace.” Indeed, love and peace are essentially one and the same – and they are truly defined by action. They demand work. You cannot simply want peace, you must work for it. In his encyclical Pacem in Terris, (on Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, One of my favorites is a common sight in a parking lot going to or coming from Mass. ‘‘ Charity and Liberty), Pope John XXIII challenged the people of the world to labor for peace. Although his letter was written in the midst of the Cold War – just months after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963 – his prescription for peace on earth is just as true and needed today as it was then. Blessed John XXIII spoke boldly as he stated the foundation of his case, saying “every man has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for the proper development of life.” If we want to be laborers for peace, then our actions must magnify those truths – we must work for justice. If laboring to protect the dignity of life is indeed at the very heart of justice, love and peace, then one doesn’t have to look far to understand why our world has such a difficult time finding peace. Every day, secular culture force-feeds lies about self-worth to our sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers. It seems the world would rather you believe that you are not worth the price Christ paid for you. Praise be to God that we have the church to continually remind us of our hope and real worth as it continues to proclaim truth to every generation. Praise be to God that we are blessed to know holy men and women – members of the body of Christ – who work for peace as much as they want it. In this issue of FAITH Saginaw, you will encounter several people who take action for peace. You will meet Bill Rodriguez, who turned his life of violence into a life of hope for others. You will discover how Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament, inspires those who have come to pray with him at one Bay City shrine. You also will have the opportunity to read a special report about stem cell research, as Michigan’s bishops prepare to launch an education campaign about this issue that is so important to the cultivation of a culture of life – a culture of peace. If you want peace, work for justice. May your faith help to bring the world peace. - Matt Treadwell is editor in chief of FAITH Saginaw and communications director for the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw. Want peace? What are you willing to do a FAITH Saginaw Fall 2007 Blessed John XXIII spoke boldly as he stated the foundation of his case, saying “every man has the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suit- able for the proper development of life.” If we want to be labor- ers for peace, then our actions must mag- nify those truths – we must work for justice. Liturgical Calendar: St. Therese of the Child of Jesus, Virgin, Doctor October 1 | Guardian Angels October 2 | St ‘‘
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