Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas – On the Safeguarding of the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. It is no secret that Pope Leo is concerned by the possible direction of AI and its impact on us, personally & communally. Towards the end of Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo moves to more practical steps you and I can do to “Cultivate a Civilization of Love”:

212. … No one is without responsibility. We all have our own areas for action, and it is precisely there — and nowhere else — that we must choose whether to fuel the mentality of force (even if only through indifference, cynicism, lies or hatred), or to preserve the mindset of peace (with truth, moderation, closeness and care).

213. … I [Pope Leo] would like to propose five paths toward daily and public responsibility: the need to disarm words, building peace through justice, adopting the perspective of victims, cultivating a healthy realism and reviving dialogue and multilateralism.

[I] 214. The first contribution we can make toward a more humane civilization is to be mindful of our words. “Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world.” Words have enormous power, something we experience in our daily interactions; for example, spoken words can change our mood for better or for worse. “Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others…We have a real opportunity to contribute to the common good each time we speak the truth, offer wise advice, support those in need of comfort, denounce injustice and give a voice to the voiceless.

[II] 215. All of us, at every level, can contribute to building the foundation of peace, which is justice. We do not merely seek any kind of peace — such as an absence of conflict at any cost — but instead, the true peace born of justice. “There exists a very close connection between the justice of the individual and the peace of everyone.” Commenting on the psalm verse “justice and peace have embraced” (Ps 84:11), Saint Augustine wrote: “There is no one who shuns the desire for peace, yet not everyone is willing to practice justice… But perform the works of justice, keeping in mind that justice and peace have embraced; they are not at odds with one another. …Do you therefore wish to attain peace? Then practice justice!” Let us never grow weary of seeking justice!

[III] 216. There are times when, in order to remain human, we must set aside our reservations and take a stand. In some conflicts, it is unjust to remain neutral, nor is it enough merely to claim that we are not complicit… we cannot limit ourselves to the level of abstract analysis. Pope Francis encouraged us to “touch the wounded flesh” of those who suffer, look at their faces, listen to their stories and acknowledge their wounds. Painful events require both history and memory, the former to recount the facts, the latter to bear witness to lived experiences.

217. Giving space to the perspectives and voices of victims through communication and education helps us to become aware of the abyss of evil inherent in war, and generally in all forms of violence. 

[IV] 218. We are in need of a healthy realism that avoids both political idealism and cynicism… Authentic realism does not give up on changing the world… It seeks viable paths for making peace more than a mere word, through credible institutions, verifiable guarantees, patient negotiations, conflict prevention and the protection of civilians.

[V] 219. In order to build the civilization of love, we must engage in dialogue, for this is the primary means of coexistence between people and nations, and it is the alternative to open conflict…



220. Indeed, dialogue is an ordinary part of human life and does not only concern relations between States. It involves acquiring an attitude that seeks to forge bonds of fraternity built on listening, an open demeanor, making time for each other and even wasting time together. For if we experience authentic encounters with others, with those who are different…  it becomes much more difficult even to imagine war.

Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, rooted in authentic human relationship, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries