Blessings of peace to all of you, my brothers and sisters.
We gather today in the light of Christ, a light that seeks to penetrate every shadow of our troubled world. We look upon the landscape of our time and see a profound thirst—a thirst for peace, for integrity, for a foundation upon which our young can build a life of virtue. This thirst is a holy longing, placed within us by God Himself, for a world that reflects His justice and His love. Yet, we must acknowledge with sorrow the deep chasms that separate us from that vision.
We hear the weeping of the innocent, the cry that echoes from a street in Minnesota to every corner of a globe scarred by violence. “We are all terrified,” a voice tells us, trembling with a grief that has become tragically familiar. This is the sound of a world that has forgotten the divine beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” To be a child of God is not a passive inheritance; it is a vocation to active construction. Peace is not merely the absence of bullets; it is the active presence of justice, the courageous pursuit of reconciliation, the building of communities where every life is cherished as sacred. When we allow fear and division to dictate our response to the stranger, when we accept the loss of innocent life as an inevitable headline, we are not building peace. We are laying bricks for a tower of Babel that will inevitably collapse into greater chaos.
And into this atmosphere of fear and fragmentation flows a powerful, shaping current: the digital realm. Our children and youth navigate a world unseen by generations past, a plaza of infinite connection that can become a prison of comparison, a school of cruelty, or a marketplace for the soul. The ancient wisdom of Saint Paul speaks with startling clarity to this modern reality: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” This company is no longer only in the town square; it is in the palm of their hands. It can amplify lies, sell degradation as normal, and isolate the human heart behind a screen of false connection. When a nation considers banning this world for its youngest citizens, it is a cry of alarm, a recognition that we have allowed a wilderness to grow where we should have cultivated a garden. We must ask ourselves: have we, as a society and as families, become mere consumers of this digital landscape, or are we its diligent gardeners and wise guides?
This moral corrosion does not occur in a vacuum. It is often fueled by a sickness at the very heart of human structures: the abuse of power and the cancer of corruption. We see it when trust is shattered, when institutions meant to protect life instead obscure the truth about its loss. “By justice a king gives a country stability,” the Book of Proverbs teaches us, “but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.” This tearing down is not always with physical force; it is accomplished with sealed documents, with whispered lies in high places, with the choice to serve self-interest over the common good. When the powerful decide that truth is their possession to hide rather than a sacred trust to uphold, the very foundations of society begin to crumble. Can a people trust a state that keeps the secrets of the grave? Without justice, there is no peace. Without transparency, there is no trust. And without trust, we are not a community; we are a collection of suspicious strangers, adrift and vulnerable.
Yet, my brothers and sisters, we are not without hope. We are not without a blueprint. For we are called to envision a world transformed by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, a world built not by distant angels, but through the determined, loving work of good men and women—through you. Imagine with me a world where the peacemakers are not the exception, but the norm. Where communities, inspired by the love of Christ, actively welcome the stranger, heal divisions, and protect the vulnerable, so that the tears in Minnesota become the catalyst for a global embrace of human dignity.
Imagine a world where the digital continent is not a lawless frontier, but a new mission territory. Where families, guided by the Church, teach their children not only to use technology, but to master it with virtue, to fill its channels with beauty, truth, and compassionate encounter. Where the young are not captives to a screen, but use its tools to serve the poor, to spread the Gospel, and to connect in ways that affirm the God-given beauty of the human person.
Imagine a world where the halls of power are filled with servants who remember they are stewards. Where leaders in government, in business, and yes, within our own Church, see their authority as a solemn duty to wash the feet of those they lead. Where justice flows like a river, and integrity like a never-failing stream, because the people demand it and the faithful pray and work for it ceaselessly.
To build this world, we must first courageously repair our own house. One of the great wounds of our Church in modern times is the crisis of credibility born from the sin of clericalism—a distortion of authority that places the institution above the individual, secrecy above transparency, and power above the tender care of Christ’s little ones. This sin has caused immense suffering and obscured the light of Christ. I call upon every member of the faithful—clergy, religious, and laity—to aid in solving this. Demand accountability. Foster a culture of humble service and radical transparency. Support the survivors of abuse with unwavering compassion. Be a Church where every ministry, every parish meeting, every financial report reflects the Gospel truth that we are here to serve, not to be served.
Today, we remember Saint Angela Merici, a woman of the Renaissance who looked at the ignorance and poverty of the young girls of her time and did not despair. She acted. She gathered, she taught, she innovated, and she founded an order dedicated to education, understanding that to change the world, one must first form the heart and mind in virtue. Let her example ignite us. We are all called to be educators and builders in our own spheres.
But hear now a solemn warning, born not of despair but of love. If we choose passivity—if we hear the cry of the terrified and turn away, if we allow the minds of our youth to be formed by the values of a virtual marketplace rather than the values of the Kingdom, if we tolerate corruption with a weary sigh—then we are not merely maintaining an unsatisfactory status quo. We are actively constructing a different vision: a world of deepening shadows. It is a world where fear becomes the only law, where the human person is reduced to a data point or a commodity, where truth is forever hostage to power. This is not a future imposed by an angry God; it is a future we will have built with our own indifference. It is the apocalypse of the hardened heart, and its fires are already kindled by our complacency.
Therefore, let us leave this place not as an audience, but as an army of peacemakers. Let us go forth as gardeners of the digital world, planting seeds of truth. Let us go forth as prophets of justice, demanding integrity from the powerful and living it in our own homes and workplaces. Let us go forth to heal the wounds within our Church with courage and love.
The Lord does not ask us to solve every problem alone. He asks us to bring our five loaves and two fish. He asks us to take the first step in faith. He asks us to be the good men and women through whom His healing grace will work. Let us begin today. Let us build that world of peace, that city of God, together.
Amen.
What can we do?
In the face of violence that claims innocent lives, our task is to become builders of peace in our immediate circles. This does not require grand gestures. It begins with refusing to dehumanize others in our conversations, whether speaking of immigrants, political opponents, or people of different faiths. Actively listen to those who are fearful or grieving. Support local organizations that foster dialogue between communities or provide direct aid to victims of violence. In your daily interactions, be the one who calms tensions, not escalates them. Write to your representatives, advocating for policies that prioritize human dignity and life above all else.
Regarding the corrosive influence of social media on the young, our role is one of mindful guidance and example. For parents and guardians, this means having ongoing, honest conversations about online content and its impact, rather than relying solely on bans. Set healthy digital boundaries for yourself; model putting the phone away during meals and conversations. Support and volunteer with youth programs that offer real-world community, creativity, and purpose—sports, arts, mentoring. Advocate for digital literacy in schools. For all of us, it means critically examining our own online behavior: are we contributing to a culture of outrage, comparison, and spite, or one of encouragement, truth, and genuine connection?
Confronted by corruption and the abuse of power, our practical response is relentless integrity and courageous citizenship. Start locally. Attend town council or community board meetings. Ask questions, demand transparency, and hold local officials accountable. Support and subscribe to credible journalism that investigates power. In your own profession, refuse to cut ethical corners, even when it’s inconvenient. Blow the whistle, through proper channels, when you witness malpractice. Teach the next generation, by word and deed, that justice is a daily practice—from returning the extra change a cashier gave by mistake to demanding honesty from those who govern. A stable society is built from the ground up by citizens who value fairness over personal gain.
These are not distant ideals, but daily disciplines. We change the world by how we speak in our homes, how we spend our attention, and how we act in our communities. Begin there.
Go in peace.
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