Professional Documents
Culture Documents
P
eace is a tree of many diverse leaves, this world, his greeting was: “Peace!”
flowers, and fruits. It strikes its roots in Jesus came to our war-torn world through
the hearts of people and grows through a woman – Mary – who is the Queen of
the moisture of deep personal convictions, Peace. She spent her earthly days in
commitment, and perseverance in the peace-filled communion with her Son.
face of opposition and obstacles And from that intimacy, she derived
of every sort. Peace is brightened the moral strength that she needed
and strengthened by the sunshine to be always available to cooper-
of a sincere and universal love that ate with God, attentive to the
refuses to bow to the destructiveness of needs of her neighbor.
hatred and vengefulness. The duty to promote peace
Peace is the aspiration of is the legacy of Jesus and
all those who have not been his Mother to all those who
perverted by the devil, the proclaim to believe in God, and
wrecker of all peace. It is pro- especially of those who profess
moted by its great champions, to be disciples of Christ, the
but it cannot succeed without the Prince of Peace. We are all
cooperation of millions, and ultimately called to promote peace by
the whole of humankind. doing the “works of peace” –
Peace is a fragile fruit. It is easily dam- attitudes and actions that bring out
aged and even destroyed by envy, selfishness, the best in people; console the afflicted,
pride, lust, aggressiveness, insensitivity, and welcome the strangers, protect the oppressed;
cruelty. Peace is destroyed by sin whenever uphold what is right and promote justice and
man turns against God or lifts his hand education as basic conditions for peace to be
against his brethren. God grieves immensely genuine and lasting.
when He sees us, human beings, undermine Sometimes there may even arise the need
and destroy our own peace. to defend peace against those who are trying
From the beginning, peace has been to destroy it. It is the challenging enterprise
God’s dream and plan for the human family. of doing so by peaceful means that reject vio-
His Kingdom is a Kingdom of peace. The lence in principle and in practice. The shining
greatest sign of God’s “peace initiative” is examples of Jesus himself, Francis of Assisi,
the Incarnation of His own Son, the Eternal Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Teresa of Cal-
Word. He came as the Man of Peace – peace cutta, and John Paul II should be our greatest
between God and us; peace among all hu- encouragement. God’s grace will empower us
mans. When he was born, the angels wished to do what our weakness would be unable to
peace to all men of goodwill. Before he left accomplish.
A grace-filled, peaceful
& prosperous
NEW YEAR
to one and all!!!
Don Bosco Compound, A. Arnaiz Ave. cor. Chino Roces Ave., Makati, Metro Manila
Postal Address: P.O. Box 1820, MCPO, 1258 Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
WORD & LIFE Tel. Nos. 8894-5401; 8475-8945 • Telefax: 8894-5241 • Website: www.wordandlife.org
PUBLICATIONS • E-mail: marketing@wordandlife.org; wordandlifepublications@gmail.com • FB: Word & Life Publications
• Editorial Team: Fr. S. Putzu, J. Domingo, V. David, R. Molomog, D. Daguio
• Illustrations: A. Sarmiento, B. Cleofe • Circulation: R. Saldua