Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

"Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among those on whom God’s favour rests". [Lk 2:14]

Each Christmas, we rejoice in the "message of great joy" which the angel proclaimed to the shepherds and to the whole world, that a saviour has been born for us, Christ Jesus the Lord [Lk 2:8-11]. This proclamation was followed immediately by the song of the whole choir of angels, glorifying God and proclaiming peace to all humanity. The world of the Roman Empire into which Jesus was born was a world of peace, a peace imposed by the force of arms, a peace that could only endure as long as there was no war. Peace, however, is more than the mere absence of war, so the peace proclaimed by the angels was a divine peace, a divine gift, the gift of God’s only Son. "Jesus is what he brings" is a principle which helps us to grasp the mystery of Emmanuel, "God with us". Since Jesus brought us peace at his birth and a greater peace at his resurrection, Christian reflection came to the affirmation of a great insight: Christ himself, in his own person, is our peace [cf. Ephesians 2:14]. It is only in union with Christ, we are now convinced, that peace can come to our human hearts and our human society.

The Christmas message also proclaims that, in order to be recipients of this gift of peace, we must be people on whom God’s favour rests. The first dwelling place of God’s peace on earth must be the human heart. Every word of God, every divine promise, demands a response from us. At the very least, we must not do anything to hinder God’s favour resting on us. Hence there is heard within the Church the constant call of the Gospel to repentance, reconciliation, renewal. We have heard this call more clearly during this Jubilee Year with our theme of reconciliation and communion. It is only when the peace of reconciliation fills our own hearts and lives that it can transform all human relationships - inter-personal, inter-racial, international relationships.

When Jesus sent out the Seventy-two disciples ahead of him, he told them that their first words on entering any house were to be "Peace be to this house" [Lk 10:5]. Peace, Jesus seems to imply, will be the first fruit of mission. All of us are sent to bring peace to others, because we are sent to proclaim Christ and to bring his presence to "every race, language, people and nation" [Apoc 5:9]. Bringing peace and giving it to others surely implies that we ourselves are people of peace, that the peace of Christmas and of the Resurrection resides in our own hearts, for we cannot give what we do not have.

The story of St. Paul serves as a model for our reflection. His story is told three times in the Acts of the Apostles [cf Acts Chs 9, 22, 26] to highlight three moments in our encounter with God: conversion, vocation, mission. Individually and ecclesially we are called to continuous conversion, for we are still a pilgrim Church and have not yet achieved the full glory of the Resurrection: "Every one of us needs a change of heart" [Vatican II, GS #82]. We must continually reflect on our Christian vocation and its demands. We must take Christ’s mission to heart, for as a community of love and hope we must be open to the world in which we live. The Second Vatican Council was called to engage the Church in ongoing renewal, for the Church is always in need of renewal. The Jubilee celebrations have been a renewed call to repentance, reconciliation, and renewal.

Different moments of history will call forth different formulations of the mission which we have received from Christ. Pope John Paul II has called on us to cross the threshold of hope and to strive to establish a new "civilization of love". This civilization of love will be established when there is peace on earth, a peace which brings hope, since Christ is our peace [Eph 2:14], Christ is our hope [cf. Col 1:27]. The peace proclaimed at Christmas is a peace which the world cannot give [Jn 14:27]. It is a peace which must bring joy to all humanity, as the Gospel makes us "people upon whom God’s favour rests". The new civilization of love demands a flowering of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control" [Gal 5:22]. As our Jubilee Year draws to a close, let us pledge our commitment to the mission of Christ: peace on earth.

May God Our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give us grace and peace. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new is here. This is the work of God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ. [cf 2 Cor 1:2; 5:17-20]

+John B. Card. Wu

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2000