1997 WORLD PEACE DAY: OFFER FORGIVENESS AND RECEIVE PEACE

 

 

VATICAN CITY, DEC 17, 1996 (VIS) - Pope John Paul's Message for the January 1, 1997, World Day of Peace, entitled "Offer Forgiveness and Receive Peace," was made public today. Twenty pages long and published in eight languages, it bears the date of December 8. Following are excerpted passages:

"1. If we look back on the last millennium, and on this century in particular, it must be acknowledged that mankind's path has been greatly illuminated by progress in the socio-cultural, economic, scientific and technological spheres. Unfortunately, this new light coexists with persistent dark shadows, especially in the areas of morality and solidarity."

"The time has come for a resolute decision to set out together on a true pilgrimage of peace. ... To go forward together, when we have behind us traumatic experiences or even age-old divisions, is not an easy thing to do."

"But no process of peace can ever begin unless an attitude of sincere forgiveness takes root in human hearts. ... Offering and accepting forgiveness is the essential condition for making the journey towards authentic and lasting peace.

"With deep conviction therefore I wish to appeal to everyone to seek peace along the paths of forgiveness. I am fully aware that forgiveness can seem contrary to human logic. ... But forgiveness is inspired by the logic of love, that love which God has for every man and woman, for every people and nation, and for the whole human family."

"A WOUNDED WORLD YEARNS FOR HEALING 2. As I have said, the modern world, despite its many successes, continues to be marked by contradictions. Progress in industry and agriculture has brought a higher standard of living. ... Technology ... has made possible new advances in human knowledge. Respect for the environment is growing and becoming a way of life. A great army of volunteers ... is working tirelessly ... for the good of humanity."

"How can we fail to acknowledge with joy these positive aspects of our times? Unfortunately, however, the present world scene also presents more than a few negative signs. These include materialism and a growing contempt for human life, ... Many people live their lives with no other allegiance than to the laws of profit, prestige and power.

"As a result, many feel imprisoned in a deep inner loneliness. ... Faced with situations like (discrimination, poverty, war, materialism), involving real human tragedies, some prefer simply to close their eyes, taking refuge in indifference."

"When so many of our brothers and sisters are suffering, we cannot remain indifferent! Their distress appeals to our conscience."

"THE BURDEN OF HISTORY 3. The difficulty of forgiving does not only arise from the circumstances of the present. History carries with it a heavy burden of violence and conflict which cannot easily be shed. ... The truth is that one cannot remain a prisoner of the past, for individuals and peoples need a sort of 'healing of memories,' so that past evils will not come back again. This does not mean forgetting past events; it means re-examining them with a new attitude."

"For this to happen, we must learn to read the history of other peoples without facile and partisan bias, making an effort to understand their point of view. "

"This is the first step towards reconciliation, since respect for differences is an inherently necessary condition for genuine relationships between individuals and between groups. "

"PRACTICAL MECHANISMS FOR RECONCILIATION 4. Precisely in a time such as ours, which is familiar with the most sophisticated technologies of destruction, it is urgently necessary to develop a consistent 'culture of peace.'

"... the sincere desire for peace has to be translated into a firm decision to remove every obstacle to achieving peace. Here, the various religions can make an important contribution, as they have often done in the past, by speaking out against war and bravely facing the conseqent risks."

"At the same time, the duty of governments and the international community remains essential in these matters."

"Other organizations at the continental and regional level also have great importance as instruments for promoting peace: ... Nor should we underestimate the activity of local organizations."

"Lasting peace however is not just a matter of structures and mechanisms. ... We all need to be forgiven by others, so we must all be ready to forgive. Asking and granting forgiveness is something profoundly worthy of man; sometimes it is the only way out of situations marked by age-old and violent hatred.

"Certainly, forgiveness does not come spontaneously or naturally to people. Forgiving from the heart can sometimes be actually heroic."

"TRUTH AND JUSTICE: PREREQUISITES FOR FORGIVENESS 5. Forgiveness, in its truest and highest form, is a free act of love. ... It has its own intrinsic demands: the first of which is respect for the truth. God alone is absolute truth. ... fully revealed in his Incarnate Son. Hence we are all called to live the truth."

"Forgiveness, far from precluding the search for truth, actually requires it. The evil which has been done must be acknowledged and as far as possible corrected. ... There is no need to insist on the great prudence which all parties must observe in this necessary process, in order not to accentuate contrasts, which would then make reconciliation even more difficult."

"Another essential requisite for forgiveness and reconciliation is justice, which finds its ultimate foundation in the law of God. ... Forgiveness neither eliminates nor lessens the need for the reparation which justice requires, but seeks to reintegrate individuals and groups into society, and States into the community of Nations."

"JESUS CHRIST OUR RECONCILIATION 6. How many situations today call for reconciliation! In the face of this challenge, on which peace to a great extent depends, I appeal to all believers, and in a special way to the members of the Catholic Church, to devote themselves in an active and practical way to the work of reconciliation.

"Believers know that reconciliation comes from God."

"Divine love is the foundation of the reconciliation to which all of us are called."

"In his loving readiness to forgive, God went even to the point of giving himself to the world in the Person of his Son, who came to bring redemption to every individual and all humanity."

"Throughout his life Jesus proclaimed God's forgiveness, but he also taught the need for mutual forgiveness as the condition for obtaining it. In the Lord's Prayer he makes us pray: 'Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us'."

"IN THE SERVICE OF RECONCILIATION 7. Jesus not only taught his disciples the duty to forgive, but he also intended his Church to be the sign and instrument of his plan of reconciliation. ... But in a certain sense every baptized person must consider himself a 'minister of reconciliation' since, ... he is called to build peace with the power of truth and justice.

"As I had occasion to state in my Apostolic Letter 'Tertio Millennio Adveniente', Christians, as they get ready to cross the threshold of a new millennium, are invited to renew their repentance for 'all those times in history when they departed from the spirit of Christ and his Gospel and, ... indulged in ways of thinking and acting which were truly forms of counter-witness and scandal'.

"Among these, the divisions which harm the unity of Christians are of singular importance. ... We must together seek Christ's forgiveness, beseeching the Holy Spirit to grant the grace of full unity.

"AN APPEAL TO ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL 8. I wish to conclude this Message, which I am sending to believers and all people of good will for the coming World Day of Peace, with an appeal to every individual to become an instrument of peace and reconciliation."

"... to you, my Brother Bishops and priests: be mirrors of the merciful love of God, ..."

"To you parents, ... I ask you to help your children to look upon all people as their brothers and sisters, ..."

"And you educators, ... help (young people) to live in every situation the virtues of tolerance, understanding and respect; ..."

"You young people, ... learn to live with one another in peace, ..."

"You men and women in public life, ... exclude no one from your concerns; take special care of the weakest sectors of society." "To you who work in the mass media, I ask you to consider the great responsibilities ... never to be promoters of messages marked by hatred, violence or falsehood."

"Finally, to all of you who believe in Christ, I address an invitation to walk faithfully on the path of forgiveness and reconciliation."

"To every person of good will, eager to work tirelessly in the building of a new civilization of love, I say once more: 'Offer forgiveness and receive peace!'"
MESS/PEACE:FORGIVENESS/WORLD PEACE DAY VIS 961217 (1450)