The War the World Refuses to Name

As headlines stir anxiety about the possibility of global conflict, Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC, turns our attention to a war already raging — one that has claimed more innocent lives than any battlefield in history. While nations prepare for external enemies, the Church is called to confront a deeper crisis: the systematic destruction of human life in the womb.

Scripture teaches that peace is never merely political. It is moral and spiritual, what St. Augustine called the “tranquility of order.” When life is no longer received as a gift, society drifts into darkness. Jesus warns us plainly that without Him, humanity remains lost, but with Him we find “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6; NABRE). The Catechism affirms that human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2270). This is not optional teaching; it is foundational.

Father Matthew explains that even where legal victories have been achieved, the deeper battle continues in hearts and in culture. Laws alone cannot restore what has been lost. A culture of life requires conversion, sacrifice, and reparation. Saint Faustina understood this when she offered suffering for grave sins against life, appealing to the Divine Mercy to hold back judgment and bring repentance. Her Diary reveals that no sin, however grave, is greater than God’s mercy when hearts turn back to Him (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 699).

The call of the faithful is to pray, especially on days set aside by the bishops, for the protection of unborn children. True peace will not come through fear or force, but through surrender — through trust in the mercy of God and a renewed commitment to chastity, responsibility, and reverence for life.

Christ desires life, not death. When the Church proclaims this truth without compromise, she becomes a sign of hope in a world searching for peace.