Ngày 11 tháng 03
Righteousness That Reconciles
We are called to pass on the healing that we have experienced, and the reconciliation that we have been given so lavishly. Clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you (Col 3: 12-13). Having been forgiven, we are called to forgive. Having been justified by God’s grace, we are called to give witness to justice in our lives, for we know full well that peaceful relationships can exist in the world only when the justice of Christ permeates hearts and is expressed in all the sructures of society.
But in order to communicate peace in accordance with Christ’s words, we must live that peace. In the words of the Apostle Paul, Christ’s peace must reign in your hearts, since as members of the one body you are called to that peace (Col 3: 15). Yes, dear brothers and sisters, there must be peace in our families, between husbands and wives, between parents and children; peace in our communities; peace in our parishes and local churches; peace in society and over the earth; peace in the hearts of the ministers of Christ, in the hearts of the religious and laity, in the hearts of all those who embrace His Gospel of love.
Only then can our proclamation and communication of peace be effective: peace to the poor and to the rich, peace to the young and to the old, peace to the sick and the suffering, to prisoners and to all who mourn. Peace to those who are crushed by the burden of sin, and to those who stumble beneath the weight of their cross. Peace to all who serve with us in the name of Christ and for the glory of his Father. Peace to all our brothers and sisters in Christ, to all our fellowhuman beings: the peace of reconciliation, of justice, of freedom from fear, of liberation from oppression and sin, of deliverance from eternal death. The peace of Christ’s kingdom, the peace of hope, the peace of Jesus himself. Peace is yours as a gift from the Lord, as a responsibility and a challenge. Let s listen to Jesus, today and all the days of our lives.
Saint John Paul II
Saint John Paul II (+ 2005) reigned as pope from 1978 untill 2005
