Mary: Queen of Peace

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Friendship) #278, Pope Francis tells us that war is fratricide—brothers and sisters killing one another. War can never be an acceptable solution to our differences as individuals, communities or nations. Once we have accepted the fact that we are all members of God’s family—regardless of our racial, cultural, economic, social or political differences—we can never turn to violence as an appropriate way of resolving our differences, no matter how serious they may be. Dialogue, forgiveness, and mutual understanding must be the solution, never warfare.

The Church, when she is faithful to her Lord, the Prince of Peace, cries out for an end to the horrors of war. As Pope Francis says:

Called to take root in every place, the Church has been present for centuries throughout the world, for that is what it means to be “catholic.” She can thus understand, from her own experience of grace and sin, the beauty of the invitation to universal love. Indeed, “all things human are our concern… wherever the councils of nations come together to establish the rights and duties of man, we are honored to be permitted to take our place among them.” 

For many Christians, this journey of fraternity also has a Mother, whose name is Mary. Having received this universal motherhood at the foot of the cross (cf. Jn 19:26), she cares not only for Jesus but also for “the rest of her children” (cf. Rev 12:17). In the power of the risen Lord, she wants to give birth to a new world, where all of us are brothers and sisters, where there is room for all those whom our societies discard, where justice and peace are resplendent. 

Mary speaks of peace. She urges us, her children, to recognize that we are all members of one family and to build communities “where there is room for all” and “where justice and peace are resplendent.”

Building communities that promote harmony and the common good of all requires us to listen to one another and to engage in respectful dialogue. Mary’s practice of contemplative prayer combined with faithful action on behalf of all her children should encourage us to speak the truth with love while, at the same time, refusing to dismiss out of hand the beliefs and practices of those who think and act differently than us.

Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s latest newsletter.