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77. In our generation when men continue to be afflicted by acute
hardships and anxieties arising from the ravages of war or the threat of
it, the whole human family faces an hour of supreme crisis in its
advance toward maturity. Moving gradually together and everywhere more
conscious already of its unity, this family cannot accomplish its task
of constructing for all men everywhere a world more genuinely human
unless each person devotes himself to the cause of peace with renewed
vigor. Thus it happens that the Gospel message, which is in harmony
with the loftier strivings and aspirations of the human race, takes on
a new luster in our day as it declares that the artisans of peace are
blessed "because they will be called the sons of God" (Matt.
5:9).
Consequently, as it points out the authentic and noble meaning of
peace and condemns the frightfulness of war, the Council wishes
passionately to summon Christians to cooperate, under the help of
Christ the author of peace, with all men in securing among themselves
a peace based on justice and love and in setting up the instruments of
peace.
78. 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. Peace results from that
order structured into human society by its divine Founder, and
actualized by men as they thirst after ever greater justice. The
common good of humanity finds its ultimate meaning in the eternal law.
But since the concrete demands of this common good are constantly
changing as time goes on, peace is never attained once and for all,
but must be built up ceaselessly. Moreover, since the human will is
unsteady and wounded by sin, the achievement of peace requires a
constant mastering of passions and the vigilance of lawful authority.
But this is not enough. This peace on earth cannot be obtained unless
personal well-being is safeguarded and men freely and trustingly share
with one another the riches of their inner spirits and their talents.
A firm determination to respect other men and peoples and their
dignity, as well as the studied practice of brotherhood are absolutely
necessary for the establishment of peace. Hence peace is likewise the
fruit of love, which goes beyond what justice can provide.
That earthly peace which arises from love of neighbor symbolizes and
results from the peace of Christ which radiates from God the Father.
For by the cross the incarnate Son, the prince of peace reconciled
all men with God. By thus restoring all men to the unity of one
people and one body, He slew hatred in His own flesh; and, after
being lifted on high by His resurrection, He poured forth the spirit
of love into the hearts of men.
For this reason, all Christians are urgently summoned to do in love
what the truth requires, and to join with all true peacemakers in
pleading for peace and bringing it about.
Motivated by this same spirit, we cannot fail to praise those who
renounce the use of violence in the vindication of their rights and who
resort to methods of defense which are otherwise available to weaker
parties too, provided this can be done without injury to the rights and
duties of others or of the community itself.
Insofar as men are sinful, the threat of war hangs over them, and
hang over them it will until the return of Christ. But insofar as men
vanquish sin by a union of love, they will vanquish violence as well
and make these words come true: "They shall turn their swords into
plough-shares, and their spears into sickles. Nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more"
(Isaias 2:4).
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SECTION 1. THE AVOIDANCE OF WAR
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79. Even though recent wars have wrought physical and moral havoc on
our world, the devastation of battle still goes on day by day in some
part of the world. Indeed, now that every kind of weapon produced by
modern science is used in war, the fierce character of warfare
threatens to lead the combatants to a savagery far surpassing that of
the past. Furthermore, the complexity of the modern world and the
intricacy of international relations allow guerrilla warfare to be drawn
out by new methods of deceit and subversion. In many causes the use of
terrorism is regarded as a new way to wage war.
Contemplating this melancholy state of humanity, the council wishes,
above all things else, to recall the permanent binding force of
universal natural law and its all-embracing principles. Man's
conscience itself gives ever more emphatic voice to these principles.
Therefore, actions which deliberately conflict with these same
principles, as well as orders commanding such actions are criminal,
and blind obedience cannot excuse those who yield to them. The most
infamous among these are actions designed for the methodical
extermination of an entire people, nation or ethnic minority. Such
actions must be vehemently condemned as horrendous crimes. The courage
of those who fearlessly and openly resist those who issue such commands
merits supreme commendation.
On the subject of war, quite a large number of nations have subscribed
to international agreements aimed at making military activity and its
consequences less inhuman. Their stipulations deal with such matters
as the treatment of wounded soldiers and prisoners. Agreements of this
sort must be honored. Indeed they should be improved upon so that the
frightfulness of war can be better and more workably held in check.
All men, especially government officials and experts in these
matters, are bound to do everything they can to effect these
improvements. Moreover, it seems right that laws make humane
provisions for the case of those who for reasons of conscience refuse to
bear arms, provided however, that they agree to serve the human
community in some other way.
Certainly, war has not been rooted out of human affairs. As long as
the danger of war remains and there is no competent and sufficiently
powerful authority at the international level, governments cannot be
denied the right to legitimate defense once every means of peaceful
settlement has been exhausted. State authorities and others who share
public responsibility have the duty to conduct such grave matters
soberly and to protect the welfare of the people entrusted to their
care. But it is one thing to undertake military action for the just
defense of the people, and something else again to seek the subjugation
of other nations. Nor, by the same token, does the mere fact that
war has unhappily begun mean that all is fair between the warring
parties.
Those too who devote themselves to the military service of their
country should regard themselves as the agents of security and freedom
of peoples. As long as they fulfill this role properly, they are
making a genuine contribution to the establishment of peace.
80. The horror and perversity of war is immensely magnified by the
addition of scientific weapons. For acts of war involving these
weapons can inflict massive and indiscriminate destruction, thus going
far beyond the bounds of legitimate defense. Indeed, if the kind of
instruments which can now be found in the armories of the great nations
were to be employed to their fullest, an almost total and altogether
reciprocal slaughter of each side by the other would follow, not to
mention the widespread deviation that would take place in the world and
the deadly after effects that would be spawned by the use of weapons of
this kind.
All these considerations compel us to undertake an evaluation of war
with an entirely new attitude.[164] The men of our time must realize
that they will have to give a somber reckoning of their deeds of war for
the course of the future will depend greatly on the decisions they make
today.
With these truths in mind, this most holy synod makes its own the
condemnations of total war already pronounced by recent popes,[165]
and issues the following declaration.
Any act of war aimed indiscriminately at the destruction of entire
cities of extensive areas along with their population is a crime against
God and man himself. It merits unequivocal and unhesitating
condemnation.
The unique hazard of modern warfare consists in this: it provides
those who possess modem scientific weapons with a kind of occasion for
perpetrating just such abominations; moreover, through a certain
inexorable chain of events, it can catapult men into the most atrocious
decisions. That such may never truly happen in the future, the
bishops of the whole world gathered together, beg all men, especially
government officials and military leaders, to give unremitting thought
to their gigantic responsibility before God and the entire human race.
81. To be sure, scientific weapons are not amassed solely for use
in war. Since the defensive strength of any nation is considered to be
dependent upon its capacity for immediate retaliation, this
accumulation of arms, which increases each year, likewise serves, in
a way heretofore unknown, as deterrent to possible enemy attack. Many
regard this procedure as the most effective way by which peace of a sort
can be maintained between nations at the present time.
Whatever be the facts about this method of deterrence, men should be
convinced that the arms race in which an already considerable number of
countries are engaged is not a safe way to preserve a steady peace, nor
is the so-called balance resulting from this race a sure and authentic
peace. Rather than being eliminated thereby, the causes of war are in
danger of being gradually aggravated. While extravagant sums are being
spent for the furnishing of ever new weapons, an adequate remedy cannot
be provided for the multiple miseries afflicting the whole modern
world. Disagreements between nations are not really and radically
healed; on the contrary, they spread the infection to other parts of
the earth. New approaches based on reformed attitudes must be taken to
remove this trap and to emancipate the world from its crushing anxiety
through the restoration of genuine peace.
Therefore, we say it again: the arms race is an utterly treacherous
trap for humanity, and one which ensnares the poor to an intolerable
degree. It is much to be feared that if this race persists, it will
eventually spawn all the lethal ruin whose path it is now making ready.
Warned by the calamities which the human race has made possible, let
us make use of the interlude granted us from above and for which we are
thankful to become more conscious of our own responsibility and to find
means for resolving our disputes in a manner more worthy of man.
Divine Providence urgently demands of us that we free ourselves from
the age-old slavery of war. If we refuse to make this effort, we do
not know where we will be led by the evil road we have set upon.
It is our clear duty, therefore, to strain every muscle in working
for the time when all war can be completely outlawed by international
consent. This goal undoubtedly requires the establishment of some
universal public authority acknowledged as such by all and endowed with
the power to safeguard on the behalf of all, security, regard for
justice, and respect for rights. But before this hoped for authority
can be set up, the highest existing international centers must devote
themselves vigorously to the pursuit of better means for obtaining
common security. Since peace must be born of mutual trust between
nations and not be imposed on them through a fear of the available
weapons, everyone must labor to put an end at last to the arms race,
and to make a true beginning of disarmament, not unilaterally indeed,
but proceeding at an equal pace according to agreement, and backed up
by true and workable safeguards.[166]
82. In the meantime, efforts which have already been made and are
still underway to eliminate the danger of war are not to be underrated.
On the contrary, support should be given to the good will of the very
many leaders who work hard to do away with war, which they abominate.
These men, although burdened by the extremely weighty preoccupations
of their high office, are nonetheless moved by the very grave
peacemaking task to which they are bound, even if they cannot ignore
the complexity of matters as they stand. We should fervently ask God
to give these men the strength to go forward perseveringly and to follow
through courageously on this work of building peace with vigor. It is
a work of supreme love for mankind. Today it certainly demands that
they extend their thoughts and their spirit beyond the confines of their
own nation, that they put aside national selfishness and ambition to
dominate other nations, and that they nourish a profound reverence for
the whole of humanity, which is already making its way so laboriously
toward greater unity.
The problems of peace and of disarmament have already been the subject
of extensive, strenuous and constant examination. Together with
international meetings dealing with these problems, such studies should
be regarded as the first steps toward solving these serious questions,
and should be promoted with even greater urgency by way of yielding
concrete results in the future.
Nevertheless, men should take heed not to entrust themselves only to
the efforts of some, while not caring about their own attitudes. For
government officials who must at one and the same time guarantee the
good of their own people and promote the universal good are very greatly
dependent on public opinion and feeling. It does them no good to work
for peace as long as feelings of hostility, contempt and distrust, as
well as racial hatred and unbending ideologies, continue to divide men
and place them in opposing camps. Consequently there is above all a
pressing need for a renewed education of attitudes and for new
inspiration in public opinion. Those who are dedicated to the work of
education, particularly of the young, or who mold public opinion,
should consider it their most weighty task to instruct all in fresh
sentiments of peace. Indeed, we all need a change of heart as we
regard the entire world and those tasks which we can perform in unison
for the betterment of our race.
But we should not let false hope deceive us. For unless enmities and
hatred are put away and firm, honest agreements concerning world peace
are reached in the future, humanity, which already is in the middle of
a grave crisis, even though it is endowed with remarkable knowledge,
will perhaps be brought to that dismal hour in which it will experience
no peace other than the dreadful peace of death. But, while we say
this, the Church of Christ, present in the midst of the anxiety of
this age, does not cease to hope most firmly. She intends to propose
to our age over and over again, in season and out of season, this
apostolic message: "Behold, now is the acceptable time for a change
of heart; behold! now is the day of salvation."[167]
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SECTION 2.
SETTING UP AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
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83. In order to build up peace above all the causes of discord among
men, especially injustice, which foment wars must be rooted out. Not
a few of these causes come from excessive economic inequalities and from
putting off the steps needed to remedy them. Other causes of discord,
however, have their source in the desire to dominate and in a contempt
for persons. And, if we look for deeper causes, we find them in
human envy, distrust, pride, and other egotistical passions. Man
cannot bear so many ruptures in the harmony of things. Consequently,
the world is constantly beset by strife and violence between men, even
when no war is being waged. Besides, since these same evils are
present in the relations between various nations as well, in order to
overcome or forestall them and to keep violence once unleashed within
limits it is absolutely necessary for countries to cooperate more
advantageously and more closely together and to organize together
international bodies and to work tirelessly for the creation of
organizations which will foster peace.
84. In view of the increasingly close ties of mutual dependence
today between all the inhabitants and peoples of the earth, the apt
pursuit and efficacious attainment of the universal common good now
require of the community of nations that it organize itself in a manner
suited to its present responsibilities, especially toward the many
parts of the world which are still suffering from unbearable want.
To reach this goal, organizations of the international community, for
their part, must make provision for men's different needs, both in
the fields of social life-such as food supplies, health, education,
labor and also in certain special circumstances which can crop up here
and there, e.g., the need to promote the general improvement of
developing countries, or to alleviate the distressing conditions in
which refugees dispersed throughout the world find themselves, or also
to assist migrants and their families.
Already existing international and regional organizations are certainly
well-deserving of the human race. These are the first efforts at
laying the foundations on an international level for a community of all
men to work for the solution to the serious problems of our times, to
encourage progress everywhere, and to obviate wars of whatever kind.
In all of these activities the Church takes joy in the spirit of true
brotherhood flourishing between Christians and non-Christians as it
strives to make ever more strenuous efforts to relieve abundant misery.
85. The present solidarity of mankind also calls for a revival of
greater international cooperation in the economic field. Although
nearly all peoples have become autonomous, they are far from being free
of every form of undue dependence, and far from escaping all danger of
serious internal difficulties.
The development of a nation depends on human and financial aids. The
citizens of each country must be prepared by education and professional
training to discharge the various tasks of economic and social life.
But this in turn requires the aid of foreign specialists who, when
they give aid, will not act as overlords, but as helpers and
fellow-workers. Developing nations will not be able to procure
material assistance unless radical changes are made in the established
procedures of modern world commerce. Other aid should be provided as
well by advanced nations in the form of gifts, loans or financial
investments. Such help should be accorded with generosity and without
greed on the one side, and received with complete honesty on the other
side.
If an authentic economic order is to be established on a world-wide
basis, an end will have to be put to profiteering, to national
ambitions, to the appetite for political supremacy, to militaristic
calculations, and to machinations for the sake of spreading and
imposing ideologies.
86. The following norms seem useful for such cooperation:
a) Developing nations should take great pains to seek as the object
for progress to express and secure the total human fulfillment of their
citizens. They should bear in mind that progress arises and grows
above all out of the labor and genius of the nations themselves because
it has to be based, not only on foreign aid, but especially on the
full utilization of their own resources, and on the development of
their own culture and traditions. Those who exert the greatest
influence on others should be outstanding in this respect.
b) On the other hand, it is a very important duty of the advanced
nations to help the developing nations in discharging their
above-mentioned responsibilities. They should therefore gladly carry
out on their own home front those spiritual and material readjustments
that are required for the realization of this universal cooperation.
Consequently, in business dealings with weaker and poorer nations,
they should be careful to respect their profit, for these countries
need the income they receive on the sale of their homemade products to
support themselves.
c) It is the role of the international community to coordinate and
promote development, but in such a way that the resources earmarked for
this purpose will be allocated as effectively as possible, and with
complete equity. It is likewise this community's duty, with due
regard for the principle of subsidiarity, so to regulate economic
relations throughout the world that these will be carried out in
accordance with the norms of justice.
Suitable organizations should be set up to foster and regulate
international business affairs, particularly with the underdeveloped
countries, and to compensate for losses resulting from an excessive
inequality of power among the various nations. This type of
organization, in unison with technical cultural and financial aid,
should provide the help which developing nations need so that they can
advantageously pursue their own economic advancement.
d) In many cases there is an urgent need to revamp economic and social
structures. But one must guard against proposals of technical
solutions that are untimely. This is particularly true of those
solutions providing man with material conveniences, but nevertheless
contrary to man's spiritual nature and advancement. For "not by
bread alone does man live, but by every word which proceeds from the
mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Every sector of the family of man
carries within itself and in its best traditions some portion of the
spiritual treasure entrusted by God to humanity, even though many may
not be aware of the source from which it comes.
87. International cooperation is needed today especially for those
peoples who, besides facing so many other difficulties, likewise
undergo pressures due to a rapid increase in population. There is an
urgent need to explore, with the full and intense cooperation of all,
and especially of the wealthier nations, ways whereby the human
necessities of food and a suitable education can be furnished and shared
with the entire human community. But some peoples could greatly
improve upon the conditions of their life if they would change over from
antiquated methods of farming to the new technical methods, applying
them with needed prudence according to their own circumstances. Their
life would likewise be improved by the establishment of a better social
order and by a fairer system for the distribution of land ownership.
Governments undoubtedly have rights and duties, within the limits of
their proper competency, regarding the population problem in their
respective countries, for instance, in the line of social and family
life legislation, or regarding the migration of country-dwellers to
the cities, or with respect to information concerning the condition and
needs of the country. Since men today are giving thought to this
problem and are so greatly disturbed over it, it is desirable in
addition that Catholic specialists, especially in the universities,
skillfully pursue and develop studies and projects on all these
matters.
But there are many today who maintain that the increase in world
population, or at least the population increase in some countries,
must be radically curbed by every means possible and by any kind of
intervention on the part of public authority. In view of this
contention, the council urges everyone to guard against solutions,
whether publicly or privately supported, or at times even imposed,
which are contrary to the moral law. For in keeping with man's
inalienable right to marry and generate children, a decision concerning
the number of children they will have depends on the right judgment of
the parents and it cannot in any way be left to the judgment of public
authority. But since the judgment of the parents presupposes a rightly
formed conscience, it is of the utmost importance that the way be open
for everyone to develop a correct and genuinely human responsibility
which respects the divine law and takes into consideration the
circumstances of the situation and the time. But sometimes this
requires an improvement in educational and social conditions, and,
above all, formation in religion or at least a complete moral
training. Men should discreetly be informed, furthermore, of
scientific advances in exploring methods whereby spouses can be helped
in regulating the number of their children and whose safeness has been
well proven and whose harmony with the moral order has been
ascertained.
88. Christians should cooperate willingly and wholeheartedly in
establishing an international order that includes a genuine respect for
all freedoms and amicable brotherhood between all. This is all the
more pressing since the greater part of the world is still suffering
from so much poverty that it is as if Christ Himself were crying out
in these poor to beg the charity of the disciples. Do not let men,
then, be scandalized because some countries with a majority of citizens
who are counted as Christians have an abundance of wealth, whereas
others are deprived of the necessities of life and are tormented with
hunger, disease, and every kind of misery. The spirit of poverty and
charity are the glory and witness of the Church of Christ.
Those Christians are to be praised and supported, therefore, who
volunteer their services to help other men and nations. Indeed, it is
the duty of the whole People of God, following the word and example
of the bishops, to alleviate as far as they are able the sufferings of
the modern age. They should do this too, as was the ancient custom in
the Church, out of the substance of their goods, and not only out of
what is superfluous.
The procedure of collecting and distributing aids, without being
inflexible and completely uniform, should nevertheless be carried on in
an orderly fashion in dioceses, nations, and throughout the entire
world. Wherever it seems convenient, this activity of Catholics
should be carried on in unison with other Christian brothers. For the
spirit of charity does not forbid, but on the contrary commands that
charitable activity be carried out in a careful and orderly manner.
Therefore, it is essential for those who intend to dedicate themselves
to the services of the developing nations to be properly trained in
appropriate institutes,
89. Since, in virtue of her mission received from God, the
Church preaches the Gospel to all men and dispenses the treasures of
grace, she contributes to the ensuring of peace everywhere on earth and
to the placing of the fraternal exchange between men on solid ground by
imparting knowledge of the divine and natural law. Therefore, to
encourage and stimulate cooperation among men, the Church must be
clearly present in the midst of the community of nations both through
her official channels and through the full and sincere collaboration of
all Christians-a collaboration motivated solely by the desire to be of
service to all.
This will come about more effectively if the faithful themselves,
conscious of their responsibility as men and as Christians will exert
their influence in their own milieu to arouse a ready willingness to
cooperate with the international community. Special care must be
given, in both religious and civil education, to the formation of
youth in this regard.
90. An outstanding form of international activity on the part of
Christians is found in the joint efforts which, both as individuals
and in groups, they contribute to institutes already established or to
be established for the encouragement of cooperation among nations.
There are also various Catholic associations on an international level
which can contribute in many ways to the building up of a peaceful and
fraternal community of nations. These should be strengthened by
augmenting in them the number of well qualified collaborators, by
increasing needed resources, and by advantageously fortifying the
coordination of their energies. For today both effective action and
the need for dialogue demand joint projects. Moreover, such
associations contribute much to the development of a universal
outlook-something certainly appropriate for Catholics. They also
help to form an awareness of genuine universal solidarity and
responsibility.
Finally, it is very much to be desired that Catholics, in order to
fulfill their role properly in the international community, will seek
to cooperate actively and in a positive manner both with their separated
brothers who together with them profess the Gospel of charity and with
all men thirsting for true peace.
The council, considering the immensity of the hardships which still
afflict the greater part of mankind today, regards it as most opportune
that an organism of the universal Church be set up in order that both
the justice and love of Christ toward the poor might be developed
everywhere. The role of such an organism would be to stimulate the
Catholic community to promote progress in needy regions and
international social justice.
91. Drawn from the treasures of Church teaching, the proposals of
this sacred synod look to the assistance of every man of our time,
whether he believes in God, or does not explicitly recognize Him.
If adopted, they will promote among men a sharper insight into their
full destiny, and thereby lead them to fashion the world more to man's
surpassing dignity, to search for a brotherhood which is universal and
more deeply rooted, and to meet the urgencies of our ages with a
gallant and unified effort born of love.
Undeniably this conciliar program is but a general one in several of
its parts; and deliberately so, given the immense variety of
situations and forms of human culture in the world. Indeed while it
presents teaching already accepted in the Church, the program will
have to be followed up and amplified since it sometimes deals with
matters in a constant state of development. Still, we have relied on
the word of God and the spirit of the Gospel. Hence we entertain the
hope that many of our proposals will prove to be of substantial benefit
to everyone, especially after they have been adapted to individual
nations and mentalities by the faithful, under the guidance of their
pastors.
92. By virtue of her mission to shed on the whole world the radiance
of the Gospel message, and to unify under one Spirit all men of
whatever nation, race or culture, the Church stands forth as a sign
of that brotherhood which allows honest dialogue and gives it vigor.
Such a mission requires in the first place that we foster within the
Church herself mutual esteem, reverence and harmony, through the full
recognition of lawful diversity. Thus all those who compose the one
People of God, both pastors and the general faithful, can engage in
dialogue with ever abounding fruitfulness. For the bonds which unite
the faithful are mightier than anything dividing them. Hence, let
there be unity in what is necessary; freedom in what is unsettled, and
charity in any case.
Our hearts embrace also those brothers and communities not yet living
with us in full communion; to them we are linked nonetheless by our
profession of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and by
the bond of charity. We do not forget that the unity of Christians is
today awaited and desired by many, too, who do not believe in
Christ; for the farther it advances toward truth and love under the
powerful impulse of the Holy Spirit, the more this unity will be a
harbinger of unity and peace for the world at large. Therefore, by
common effort and in ways which are today increasingly appropriate for
seeking this splendid goal effectively, let us take pains to pattern
ourselves after the Gospel more exactly every day, and thus work as
brothers in rendering service to the human family. For, in Christ
Jesus this family is called to the family of the sons of God.
We think cordially too of all who acknowledge God, and who preserve
in their traditions precious elements of religion and humanity. We
want frank conversation to compel us all to receive the impulses of the
Spirit faithfully and to act on them energetically.
For our part, the desire for such dialogue, which can lead to truth
through love alone, excludes no one, though an appropriate measure of
prudence must undoubtedly be exercised. We include those who cultivate
outstanding qualities of the human spirit, but do not yet acknowledge
the Source of these qualities. We include those who oppress the
Church and harass her in manifold ways. Since God the Father is the
origin and purpose of all men, we are all called to be brothers.
Therefore, if we have been summoned to the same destiny, human and
divine, we can and we should work together without violence and deceit
in order to build up the world in genuine peace.
93. Mindful of the Lord's saying: "by this will all men know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John
13:35), Christians cannot yearn for anything more ardently than
to serve the men of the modern world with mounting generosity and
success. Therefore, by holding faithfully to the Gospel and
benefiting from its resources, by joining with every man who loves and
practices justice, Christians have shouldered a gigantic task for
fulfillment in this world, a task concerning which they must give a
reckoning to to Him who will judge every man on the last of days.
Not everyone who cries, "Lord, Lord," will enter into the
kingdom of heaven, but those who do the Father's will by taking a
strong grip on the work at hand. Now, the Father wills that in all
men we recognize Christ our brother and love Him effectively, in word
and in deed. By thus giving witness to the truth, we will share with
others the mystery of the heavenly Father's love. As a consequence,
men throughout the world will be aroused to a lively hope-the gift of
the Holy Spirit-that some day at last they will be caught up in peace
and utter happiness in that fatherland radiant with the glory of the
Lord.
Now to Him who is able to accomplish all things in a measure far
beyond what we ask or conceive, in keeping with the power that is at
work in us-to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, down
through all the ages of time without end. Amen. (Eph.
3:20-21).
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