For Catholics the First of January, the Octave of Christmas, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, with the Gospel of Luke telling of the Circumcision of Jesus. In the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, another dimension was added. Pope St. Paul VI declared that this day also should be a time of prayer for peace throughout the world.

We continue to need such a time of prayer, with its challenge to become ever better builders of peace in our situation of life.

Each year the Pope offers a message of peace for the world to consider. Each person and group is invited to incorporate aspects of these reflections into their own lives. I invite our readers to consider Pope Francis’s message for the 56^th World Day of Peace.

May this reflection on our common vulnerability help us to see that our shared response can include acts of service in the name of common hope for true and lasting peace.