“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life.”
In case you missed it, from Vatican News:
“I receive countless letters from children in areas of conflict. In reading them, one perceives, through the lens of innocence, all the horror and inhumanity of actions that some adults boast of with pride.”
Pope Leo XIV gave this chilling reminder during the Prayer Vigil for Peace he led on Saturday evening in the Vatican, as he urged, “Let us listen to the voices of children!”
READ POPE LEO’S FULL REFLECTION HERE
The Prayer Vigil, which Pope Leo announced during his Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi address to the city of Rome and the world, was celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica at 6 p.m. Rome time, and everyone, both in person and following from home, was invited to join. No tickets were required. Around ten thousand faithful gathered in the Basilica and outside in Saint Peter’s Square.
People around the world joined the Holy Father in praying the Glorious mysteries of the Rosary, in person and remotely, with meditations from various Church Fathers, including St. Augustine of Hippo, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Ambrose of Milan. During the Rosary, faithful from different continents lit candles with the flame from the Lamp of Peace in Assisi, which burns perpetually at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi.
The Pope thanked all those present and all those praying from afar for praying for peace, noting that their prayer is an expression of that faith which, as Jesus reminded, moves mountains. He began by recalling that: “War divides; hope unites. Arrogance tramples upon others; love lifts up. Idolatry blinds us; the living God enlightens.”
Yet, he reassured, “all it takes is a little faith, a mere ‘crumb’ of faith, in order to face this dramatic hour in history together — as humanity and alongside humanity.” He emphasized that prayer is not “a refuge in which to hide from our responsibilities, nor an anesthetic to numb the pain provoked by so much injustice,” but rather is “the most selfless, universal and transformative response to death.”
The Holy Father doesn’t mince words in his reflection:
In the context of the 2003 Iraq war crisis, Saint John Paul II, a tireless advocate for peace, said with deep emotion: “I belong to that generation that lived through World War II and, thanks be to God, survived it. I have the duty to say to all young people, to those who are younger than I, who have not had this experience: “No more war” as Paul VI said during his first visit to the United Nations. We must do everything possible. We know well that peace is not possible at any price. But we all know how great is this responsibility” (Angelus, 16 March 2003). I make his appeal my own this evening, relevant as it is today.
Prayer teaches us how to act. In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness. It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive. The balance within the human family has been severely destabilized. Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death. A world of brothers and sisters with one heavenly Father vanishes, as in a nightmare, giving way to a reality populated by enemies. We are met by threats, rather than the invitation to listen and to come together. Brothers and sisters, those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death. Instead, death enslaves those who have turned their backs on the living God, turning themselves and their own power into a mute, blind and deaf idol (cf. Ps 115:4–8), to which they sacrifice every value, demanding that the whole world bend its knee.
Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life. With evangelical simplicity, Saint John XXIII once wrote: “The benefits of peace will be felt everywhere, by individuals, by families, by nations, by the whole human race.” And echoing the incisive words of Pius XII, he added: “Nothing is lost by peace; everything may be lost by war” (Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, 116).
