Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 28 December 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathaha
least among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.

Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne,
Then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the children of Israel.

He shall take his place as shepherd
by the strength of the LORD,
by the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth:

He shall be peace. Micah 5:1-4

Merry Christmas, again, to you all!

I was reflecting on my trip to Taiwan last summer to speak at a Pure-land Buddhist Convention about the spirituality of interreligious dialogue. I think I printed nearly my entire talk in a bulletin in late July or early August (you can look it up on our website if you are interested). I had never spent a period of days before this completely alone as a Catholic. You don’t know what being a minority religiously feels like until it actually happens. It is an experience that I remember considering humbling, even disarming, although I don’t generally consider faith to be something of an armament. I guess a better word would be exposed. Exposed to so much unexpected kindness and acceptance, more even than I usually feel in my regular life.

My reflection for that time and since has been really very simple: God is love; Buddhists know love, therefore Buddhists know God. Jesus is peace, Buddhists know peace and seek it completely everyday, Buddhists seek Jesus, even if unaware by another name or belief.

We look out into the world with so much not-peace: conflict, hate, genocide, human-caused starvation and famine. It is too easy to fall into the old categories that the peace we seek is any different from the peace the world seeks. The only ones who are not seeking peace and not working for it, simply, are not seeking Jesus, even if they claim to know him and live otherwise.

He shall be peace.

Pope Leo had a lot to say about peace in his first annual peace message last month in December. He presents a comprehensive vision of peace that challenges contem-porary attitudes toward conflict and security.

He insisted that peace is not an unattainable goal but a real possibility for which human-ity must not surrender hope. He warned that treating peace as a “distant ideal” prevents people from being “scandalized when it is denied” or when war is waged in its name. Peace is possible, and necessary.

Drawing from the greeting of the Risen Christ, “Peace be with you,” Pope Leo describes true peace as “unarmed and disarming,” a peace born of evangelical humility and an openness to dialogue. He links this to Jesus’ nonviolent response, even when threatened with force.

The Pope blasted the “irrationality” of military deterrence, especially nuclear weapons, and rising global military expenditures (which increased by 9.4% in 2024). He also decried the “destructive betrayal” of human principles involved in delegating life-and-death decisions to artificial intelligence and automated weapons systems.

He called on all religious leaders and believers to guard against the “growing temptation to weaponize even thoughts and words” and to condemn the use of religion to justify violence, nationalism, or armed struggle.

The Pope stressed the importance of diplomacy, mutual trust, and interreligious dialogue as essential paths to peace. He emphasized personal responsibility in cultivating peace in hearts, relationships, and prayers.

Micah foretells the coming of Jesus Christ as the ultimate source and embodiment of peace. Pope Leo’s comments align with this biblical understanding, presenting Christ’s peace as a model for all humanity.

To paraphrase Saint John of the Cross’ teaching about love, consider: “Where there is no peace, let me make peace, and I will find peace. Blessings this Christmas season.

The Lord be with you,