In a joint Lenten pastoral letter being read in all churches today, the Archbishop, Mgr Joseph Mercieca, and the Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Nikol Cauchi, urge the faithful to pray and work for peace to avoid the imminent threat of war.

This is the full text of the pastoral letter:

The Lenten season that we have just started this year brings with it something which, perhaps, was not felt in other years.

Lent is, this time, accompanied by a serious fear of another war. Perhaps never before as today was it so necessary that we pray and work for peace.

Modern man feels astounded when he reflects on the disastrous effects that resulted from his own mistakes. On the other hand, he feels helpless in his efforts to keep away from him these same effects. Proud of his scientific and technological progress, man has produced destructive weapons that are capable of eliminating entire populations, but he then failed to build institutional bastions of social and moral values able to protect him from this danger to himself and society.

In our times, many are those who make their voices heard in favour of peace. However, we cannot say that war is no longer a plague for humanity. On the contrary, perhaps today, as never before, the black clouds of war cast their shadow on entire regions, maybe also risking the use of nuclear and biological weapons. For this reason, more than ever, the need is being felt that we speak about the value of true peace and see what our responsibilities are in this regard.

A look around us

When we mention peace, the first thing that comes to mind very often is the need for leaders of nations to manage to solve existing conflicts between peoples, and to control the risk of new ones.

This is important. We would be doing a good thing when we join all those who, clearly and persistently, call and pray for peace whenever there are conflicts, or their risk, among countries or peoples.

However, peace is necessary not only in the relations between states and nations. Peace is also necessary within nations themselves. In fact, one can say that one of the powerful signs of a nation's strength can be found in how much its people are at peace among themselves.

Peace does not come by itself. Nor is peace something which can be bought or obtained from somebody else. Peace is the fruit of the order and justice that humans succeed in offering and guarantee to each other by following, first and foremost, the will of God.

Peace is also a gift that has to be constantly protected and improved with the participation of each and every one of us. We have to give our share by striving always to be builders of peace: in the family, at work, in the parish, in institutions and clubs, and in all our relationships with each other in every day life.

When God is put aside

Man's will changes. It is highly influenced by circumstances. It is also wounded by sin.

Christ himself taught us that it is from man's heart that all evil emerges. "For from the heart come evil intentions... These are the things that make a man unclean." (Mt. 15,19)

Hidden in the heart are the tendencies that cause conflicts and hostilities at all levels. We have to identify these tendencies and control them.

From the heart come aggressiveness, envy, vilification of others, violence and lack of respect towards the neighbourís person.

Due to our human weakness, it is very easy for us to offend God and each other. Moreover, we are living in an era and a kind of lifestyle that induce man towards putting God aside to do whatever man wants and chooses.

What makes man decide what is good and what is bad very often is no longer the will of God, but what one feels like at that moment. The environment in which we are living is increasingly becoming one that encourages individualism and egoism.

For many, God has become uncomfortable. God's place in people's lives is being taken over by false gods or idols of money, power over others, spending, luxury, pleasure, gratification, sex. People are also losing the sense of sin. People are beginning to think that nothing is wrong any more and that everything is permissible.

Such things are bound to lead to serious moral and social malaise. Very often, they also generate injustices, degradation, deceit, abhorrence, hatred, divisions. They also help to increase, in length and in number, the tentacles of the old octopus of corruption which is one of the most hardened enemies of peace.

When man decides to start moving ahead as he deems fit without any sense of fidelity to God's will and the sense of responsibility towards others, grave harm will definitely ensue.

To see how true this is, it is enough for us to have a look at the families that end up destroyed because of infidelities or other problems like disputes over inheritance.

It is enough to see what sometimes happens in the relationships between human beings at certain places of work.

It is enough to see the way some people behave towards others due to political differences or piques, or also because of religious feasts.

Our responsibility concerning peace

The need is felt to educate for peace. It is also necessary that this education be accompanied by love of peace and work for peace.

Every human being who loves peace knows that, among other things, it requires from us all the ability to master our passions; to love one another as much as we love ourselves; to forgive and forget; to respect truly the good name, dignity and rights of others; to strive for justice; to be witnesses of solidarity and generosity with the suffering neighbour; and to work honestly for the highest common good.

Humans who truly love peace are always careful not to fall into the trap of conceit, egoism, hard-headedness or heartedness, intolerance, revenge, lack of flexibility.

Humans who truly love peace work hard so that, by word and deed, they plant and cultivate gentleness, humility, comprehension, honesty, dialogue, equilibrium, fraternity, solidarity and unity.

The model in our search for, and the building of, peace needs to be Christ.

As Christians, we always have to keep in mind that peace on earth germinates and grows from the love of God and of our neighbour, and that therefore it is the image and effect of the peace of Christ.

Through his cross, Christ, the Son of God made man, made all humans friends of God. Jesus obtained anew for all of us our unity in one people and one body. Jesus won over hatred and, with the glory of his resurrection, poured forth the spirit of love and peace into the hearts of men.

Every Christian is called and encouraged to, while doing what is good spurred by love, also seek to unite with people who truly love peace, so that together they pray and endeavour for peace, and to make it work.

A providential period

Lent is for us an opportunity to repent from all that separates us from God and from one another.

Lent invites us to examine our conscience, also through spiritual exercises, and to leave our ugly past behind us so that we become new persons really open to the Lord and his will.

Lent invites us to reconcile ourselves with God and with one another.

We are currently celebrating the Year of the Rosary, a beautiful treasure that the Holy Father is inviting us to rediscover. The Pope chose to give us the opportunity to get special indulgences throughout this year. We would like to encourage you so that, with the help of the rosary, we seek to address all our life to God, in full recognition that in this world we are just pilgrims, and that "our homeland is in heaven". (Ph. 3:20)

Let us make good use of the season of grace that is Lent. Let us fearlessly join and walk with Christ in Jerusalem. Let us accept Christ's invitation to conversion.

We pray that, during this time of Lent, each and every one of us succeeds in preparing ourselves well enough for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, by becoming worthy witnesses and ambassadors of Christ, the prince of peace.