January 1: World Day of Peace

Dec 26

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family but if you will allow me to look past today in anticipation of January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the 2026 Word Day of Peace.

I am still getting used to the fact that the pope is an American. I still find it a bit odd to hear a pope speak English without a strong accent. Likewise, it is similarly odd to hear him speak Italian with an American accent! It’s so different than what has always been.

The first words he spoke to the world in his American styled Italian was, “La pace del Signore sia con voi” / “The peace of the Lord be with you.”

One might think he was following the liturgical example of opening every prayer with the same greeting but after seven months as pope, I think he meant it to be more than formulaic. It seems to be a primary message, so far, of his Pontificate. In that first address to the City of Rome and to the world, he recalled that those words, “Peace be with you,” was the first greeting of the Risen Christ, “the good shepherd, who gave his life for God’s flock.” He went on to say that the peace of Christ is “an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering.”

For the Catholic world, the World Day of Peace is always celebrated on January 1st and is dedicated to universal peace. It was instituted by St. Pope Paul VI in 1967. His inspiration was St. Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris /Peace on Earth. [an encyclical worth reading!] January 1st was specifically chosen to coincides with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, who, as Pope Leo also said in his inaugural address, “always wants to walk with us, to stay close, to help us with her intercession and her love.”

It was, however, Pope Leo’s qualifiers of the word “peace,” not unlike his accented Italian, that caught my ear: “unarmed and disarming." The Vatican’s press release that announced the theme of the 2026 World Day of Peace stated, “This peace must be unarmed, that is, not based on fear, threats or weapons. And it must be disarming, capable of resolving conflicts, opening hearts and generating mutual trust, empathy and hope. It is not enough to call for peace; we must embody it in a way of life that rejects every form of violence, whether it be visible or systemic.” The announcement went on to say that the theme is intended “to invite all of humanity, believers, non-believers, political leaders and citizens to build the Kingdom of God” and “to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice.”

I do not think Pope Leo’s use of the phrase, “Peace be with you” is anything but a sincere desire to bring peace to our increasingly violent world where insulting language is used to describe one’s adversaries, schools have metal detectors at their entrances, and antisemitism continues to fester that it led a father and son believe that the right thing to do was shoot at unarmed people on Australian beach.

Perhaps we are growing numb to the words “Peace be with you” that we don’t allow ourselves to fully understand what those words mean. I think Pope Leo is challenging us to shake off any complacency and know that when we say or respond to the words, “Peace be with you,” that it means we are to embody peace in how we live and to reject all violence, be it in thought, word, or deed.

As we begin a new year, let us all make a New Year’s resolution to embrace peace, to embody peace and be peaceful with one another. Let us also agree that we all need to preach peace to everyone we meet in this year to come be it with words and or our actions.

On behalf of the parish staff, “The peace of the Lord be with you,” during this happy new year.

Peace and All Good!

Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM
Pastor