From The Associate…
ON TRUTH, UNITY AND PEACE

     A few weeks ago I mentioned an encyclical by Pope John XXIII, and read a few excerpts from it.  A number of people have asked for the quotations. 
     Pope John, who is on his way to being recognized by the Church as a saint, was well known for his delightful personality, full of warmth and humor.  He spoke often during his brief pontificate about unity and peace, topics still very much alive among us forty-five years later.  What is less known was his driving passion for truth.  He saw truth as the basis for both unity and peace, and the more he desired these, the more he sought to proclaim truth.
     Shortly after becoming Pope, John made the momentous announcement that he was going to convene the Second Vatican Council.  Councils have traditionally been called in times of great stress or division in the Church, and many wondered why, during a time when it seemed that there was little reason for it, he had decided to call this Council.  He did his best to answer that  question in his first encyclical, published in June of 1959.  It is called in Latin Ad Petri Cathedram; in English it is   titled "On Truth, Unity and Peace."  (Those who might wish to have the complete text can find it on the Vatican website.)   Here are some of good Pope John's words:     
     All the evils which poison men and nations and trouble so many hearts have a single cause and a single source: ignorance of the truth - and at times even more than ignorance, a contempt for truth and a reckless rejection of it.  Thus arise all manner of errors, which enter the recesses of men's hearts and the bloodstream of human society as would a plague.  These errors turn everything upside down: they menace individuals and society itself. (6)
How can God, who is truth, approve or tolerate the indifference, neglect, and sloth of those who attach no importance to matters on which our eternal salvation

depends; who attach no importance to the pursuit and attainment of necessary truths, or to the offering of that proper worship which is owed to God alone? (18)
     Once we have attained the truth in its fullness,      integrity, and purity, unity should pervade our minds, hearts, and actions. (20)
     All men, therefore, private citizens as well as         government officials, must love the truth sincerely if they are to attain that peace and harmony on which depends all real prosperity, public and private. (21)
     It is the will of God, the Church's founder, that all the sheep should eventually gather into this one fold [the Catholic Church], under the guidance of one shepherd.  All God's children are summoned to their father's only home, and its cornerstone is Peter.  All men should work together like brothers to become part of this single kingdom of God; for the citizens of that kingdom are united in peace and harmony on earth that they might enjoy eternal happiness some day in heaven. (68)
    This, then, was the point of Vatican II according to Pope John: to elucidate the truth as clearly as possible to modern men and women so that they might recognize its beauty and come home; come home to the true home of everything truly human; come home ad Petri cathedram: to the chair of Peter.

Social Justice

JUSTFAITH Want to know more about the spiritual  journey of Francis of Assisi, Mother Theresa, Oscar Romero and the prophets?  Consider taking part in a   justice formation process called "JustFaith". The program includes readings, videos, and conversations about the most difficult topics, face-to-face encounters with the poor, and an investigation into the intersection of spirituality and Christian activism.  The program will run from mid-September to mid-May.  Talk to current JustFaith participants after each Mass next week.

Connections: August 17, 2003 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time