MCNEILLIE: Peace requires justice, and justice requires prayer

(Photo by James Ramos/Herald)Twenty years after World War II, Vatican II proclaimed that, “Peace is not merely the absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies; nor is it brought about by dictatorship. Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice." (Gaudium et Spes, 78)

At a time when much of the world is engaged in armed conflicts and standoffs, it is helpful to understand this statement as we long for peace.  

In short, the Sacred Council stated that peace requires justice. However, justice is not merely following the laws of your country, nor is it acting in a way that everyone agrees is right.

Rather, justice is relational harmony or the right ordering of our soul and our relationships, including that relationship we have with God. Justice or “right order” is not something that we vote on or decide for ourselves. Instead, it comes from objective truths about who we are and how we should relate to one another; it is baked into our very nature by our Creator. 

But what happens when no one in a conflict believes in or follows objective truths? In that case, there’s no concern for justice, just agreement. Opposite sides make deals with each other. Yet while all the parties agree on something, they don’t create “right order,” and consequently, they don’t actually create peace. 

Deals come from agreements; peace comes from justice. Peace, like God, can last forever, but you only need to watch the news or know your history to know how long deals last.  

Justice then is a “barometer” for peace. The closer we get to true relational harmony set by objective values (such as respect for human dignity and a real concern for the poor), the closer we will get to peace. But what happens in a world where right and wrong are determined by the powerful, values are determined by public opinion, and pleasure is preferred to human dignity? Until people start to find objectively true justice, we won’t have peace.  

In this world, there is a real need for God. Not only does God reveal true value and teach us about right and wrong, but God also helps us to choose it. We know this from Baptism: justice is something that we lack, and only God can give it.  

So when the pope asks for prayers for peace, as Pope Leo XIV did on Aug. 22, it is not done just because the pope likes to pray or feels the need to lead us in prayer. Praying for peace is the best way to arrive at peace, since peace requires justice, and justice is something only God can give. 

Father Richard McNeillie is the director of the Office of Vocations.