The Last Word
Perspectives from the president by Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari
“ ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [ Jesus] said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ ” (Jn 20:19-21) The Jubilee Prayer Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you, our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise forever. Amen. 42
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n 8 May, when Pope Leo XIV stepped out on the loggia after his election as the successor of St. Peter to greet the people in St. Peter’s Square and the entire world, he offered the salutation of the risen Christ to all. He added: “I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you! “It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.” Less than a week later, on 14 May, in his address to the participants in the Jubilee of the Eastern Churches, Pope Leo linked the “song of hope,” sung no better than by the “martyr churches” — a term Pope Francis used — of the East, to an appeal for peace — an appeal with its origin in the risen Christ. Pope Leo describes Christ’s peace: “Christ’s peace is not the sepulchral silence that reigns after conflict; it is not the fruit of oppression, but rather a gift that is meant for all, a gift that brings new life. Let us pray for this peace, which is reconciliation, forgiveness and the courage to turn the page and start anew.”