Less than a month after I was born in 1963, Pope John XXIII issued the encyclical, Pacem In Terris — Peace on Earth. Its focus was contained not only in its title, but also in the accompanying subtitle, “On Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity, and Liberty.”
Considering recent world events, especially the threat to wipe out civilization, I felt a need to search out this document written after the world events of October 1962 and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As I took time to really study the encyclical, I was particularly struck by how it speaks to the present moment in our world as well.
In its content are found paragraphs in which Pope John makes “A Call to Unsparing Effort” in the name of peace. He writes:
117. We therefore consider it Our duty as the vicar on earth of Jesus Christ — the Saviour of the world, the Author of peace — and as interpreter of the most ardent wishes of the whole human family, in the fatherly love We bear all mankind, to beg and beseech mankind, and above all the rulers of States, to be unsparing of their labor and efforts to ensure that human affairs follow a rational and dignified course.
118. In their deliberations together, let men of outstanding wisdom and influence give serious thought to the problem of achieving a more human adjustment of relations between States throughout the world. It must be an adjustment that is based on mutual trust, sincerity in negotiation, and the faithful fulfilment of obligations assumed. Every aspect of the problem must be examined, so that eventually there may emerge some point of agreement from which to initiate treaties that are sincere, lasting, and beneficial in their effects.
119. We, for Our part, will pray unceasingly that God may bless these labors by His divine assistance and make them fruitful.
Do these words sound any different than words spoken by Popes Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, or Leo XIV? Absolutely not! And it does not matter the nationality of the pope saying them! They represent the articulation through the last six decades of what it means to be a peacemaker as a child of God.
In the Gospel reading of the Second Sunday of Easter, John 20:19-31, you and I are presented with the embodiment of what it means to be instruments of peace by none other than the Risen Lord Jesus himself. He had every right to come into the apostles’ hiding place with “guns blazing.” The men who were present there had abandoned him in his hour of need and left him hanging (literally). Yet, in the moment, we encounter the real Jesus who reaches out to calm their fear, and to give them reassurance that God was not dead to them and would remain with them through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In a locked, darkened upper room … in an environment filled with mistrust and much anxiety … Jesus dissolves fear using peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. This mission of Jesus to go the extra mile to cast out fear is captured as well in his encounter with Thomas a week later. The doors of that same upper room are still locked, but rather than belittle and attack his still struggling disciples, Jesus is prepared to meet them where they are at in their lives.
In fact, he is willing to accede to Thomas’ request for proof by showing his hands, feet, and side and inviting him to probe the wounds. This moment is very real! There is no fake news or AI generation involved. More exactly, it is a moment in which faith transforms when it is not just a label, but a way of life. Thomas’ whole life would be transformed by his encounter with “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20:28).
Recently, I was asked why we do not say the phrase, “My Lord and my God,” aloud during the consecration of the Mass. I thanked the person for sharing the question with me, but I went on to explain that the elevation was a moment of quiet adoration of the Real Presence of God in our midst. Even more than giving voice to these words, they need to be lived out in our daily lives. As Pope John XXIII noted in paragraph 165 of Pacem In Terris: “The world will never be the dwelling place of peace, till peace has found a home in the heart of each and every man (woman) …”
One thing I was unaware of until I began my study of the encyclical was its date of promulgation — Holy Thursday — April 11, 1963. Hence, its closing paragraphs reflect the sacred time we are in and is entitled, “The Prince of Peace.” They represent well the role of the pope as the Vicar of Christ both in 1963 and today. Let me conclude then with a few paragraphs to consider as we continue our own Easter journey in the present moment, fraught with its own difficulties:
166. Our concern here has been with problems which are causing men (women) extreme anxiety at the present time; problems which are intimately bound up with the progress of human society. Unquestionably, the teaching We have given has been inspired by a longing which We feel most keenly, and which We know is shared by all men (women) of good will: that peace may be assured on earth.
167. We who, in spite of Our inadequacy, are nevertheless the vicar of Him whom the prophet announced as the Prince of Peace, conceive of it as Our duty to devote all Our thoughts and care and energy to further this common good of all mankind. Yet peace is but an empty word, if it does not rest upon that order which Our hope prevailed upon Us to set forth in outline in this encyclical. It is an order that is founded in truth, built upon justice, nurtured and animated by charity, and brought into effect under the auspices of freedom.
169. The very order of things, therefore, demands that during this sacred season we pray earnestly to Him who by His bitter passion and death washed away men’s sins, which are the fountainhead of discord, misery and inequality; to Him who shed His blood to reconcile the human race to the heavenly Father, and bestowed the gifts of peace. “For He is our peace, who hath made both one … And coming, He preached peace to you that were afar off; and peace to them that were nigh.”
170. The sacred liturgy of these days reechoes the same message: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, stood in the midst of His disciples and said: Peace be upon you, alleluia. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” It is Christ, therefore, who brought us peace; Christ who bequeathed it to us: “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you.”
171. Let us, then, pray with all fervor for this peace which our divine Redeemer came to bring us. May He banish from the souls of men (women) whatever might endanger peace. May He transform all men (women) into witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love. May He illumine with His light the minds of rulers, so that, besides caring for the proper material welfare of their peoples, they may also guarantee them the fairest gift of peace. Finally, may Christ inflame the desires of all men (women) to break through the barriers which divide them, to strengthen the bonds of mutual love, to learn to understand one another, and to pardon those who have done them wrong. Through His power and inspiration, may all peoples welcome each other to their hearts as brothers (and sisters) and may the peace they long for ever flower and ever reign among them.
I hope this text brings some clarity to the origins of papal statements on peace in an era of world history we often refer to as modern times. I reaffirm my own support of Pope Leo’s message of peace and the challenge of the gospel he announces to the human family.
Allow me to conclude with a prayer for peace composed by Pope St. John XXIII:
Lord Jesus Christ,
who are called the Prince of Peace,
who are yourself our peace and reconciliation,
who so often said, “Peace to you,”
grant us peace.
Make all men and women witnesses of
truth, justice, and brotherly love.
Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace.
Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee
and defend the great gift of peace.
May all peoples of the earth become brothers and sisters.
May longed-for peace blossom forth
and reign always over us all.
Amen.
