Saturday, 31 December 2011

Justice and peace will remain “words without content” unless such concepts are understood within the context of the natural moral law, the Pope has said.

In his message for the 2012 World Day of Peace on January 1st, Pope Benedict XVI says that the promotion of justice and peace is inextricably tied to the right use of freedom.

This authentic freedom, he explained, could be understood only in man’s relationship with God.

It was rooted in the objective moral norms expressed in the Ten Commandments and which were often denied amid the prevailing moral relativism.

But to be able to exercise true freedom a person “must move beyond the relativistic horizon and come to know the truth about himself and the truth about good and evil”, the Pope said.

“Deep within his conscience, man discovers a law that he did not lay upon himself, but which he must obey,” the Holy Father said in his message, Educating Young People in Justice and Peace.

“Its voice calls him to love and to do what is good, to avoid evil and to take responsibility for the good he does and the evil he commits,” he said.

“Thus, the exercise of freedom is intimately linked to the natural moral law, which is universal in character, expresses the dignity of every person and forms the basis of fundamental human rights and duties – consequently, in the final analysis, it forms the basis for just and peaceful coexistence.”

The Pope said: “The right use of freedom, then, is central to the promotion of justice and peace, which require respect for oneself and others, including those whose way of being and living differs greatly from one’s own.

“This attitude engenders the elements without which peace and justice remain merely words without content: mutual trust, the capacity to hold constructive dialogue, the possibility of forgiveness, which one constantly wishes to receive but finds hard to bestow, mutual charity, compassion towards the weakest, as well as readiness to make sacrifices.”

The fruit of justice for all

The Pope said that it was the task of education to form people in authentic freedom because when absolute individualism was promoted in its place a person “ends up contradicting the truth of his own being and forfeiting his freedom”.

Pope Benedict has assiduously taught the significance of the natural moral law throughout his seven-year pontificate.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this law is considered natural because it is part of the nature of a person, inscribed on every human heart enabling people to discern by reason good and evil, and truth from falsehood. Its principle precepts are expressed in the Ten Commandments.

The Pope, in his message, said it was important to not to detach the concept of justice from such transcendent roots.

“Justice, indeed, is not simply a human convention, since what is just is ultimately determined not by positive law, but by the profound identity of the human being,” Pope Benedict said.

“It is the integral vision of man that saves us from falling into a contractual conception of justice and enables us to locate justice within the horizon of solidarity and love.”

Peace, he added, was the “fruit of justice for all”, and he urged young people “to be patient and persevering in seeking justice and peace, in cultivating the taste for what is just and true, even when it involves sacrifice and swimming against the tide”.

The Holy Father said: “Dear young people, you are a precious gift for society. Do not yield to discouragement in the face of difficulties and do not abandon yourselves to false solutions which often seem the easiest way to overcome problems.

“Do not be afraid to make a commitment, to face hard work and sacrifice, to choose the paths that demand fidelity and constancy, humility and dedication. Be confident in your youth and its profound desires for happiness, truth, beauty and genuine love.”

He said: “The Church has confidence in you, follows you, encourages you and wishes to offer you the most precious gift she has – the opportunity to raise your eyes to God, to encounter Jesus Christ, who is himself justice and peace.”