Introduction
During these three days of preparation for the celebration of the 105th anniversary of our Institute of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit, we wish to join Pope Leo XIV in meditating on the theme of World Peace Day 2026, “Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace”.
The prophet Isaiah announces that Jesus will be called the Prince of Peace. Cf. Isaiah 9:5. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Prince of Peace, who reveals himself to humanity on the feast of Epiphany. He comes to bring peace to the world, inviting us to make peace on earth now, while hoping for eternal peace.
Faced with a world shaken by violence in all its forms, Pope Leo XIV invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace authentic peace based on love and justice. Let us pray to the Lord to make us true artisans of peace.
1st day
Pope Leo XIV tells us that true peace cannot be reduced to a precarious balance of military forces or a mere absence of fighting. It is the fruit of a converted heart, of forgiveness received and given, and of justice recognised.
Sister Eugénie Caps understood that true peace can only be found in Jesus Christ. She wrote: “Jesus, you came to me through Holy Communion. You gave me peace and tranquillity. […]. You made me understand that I must seek neither peace nor consolation anywhere else but in You alone.” Cf. Sister Eugénie Caps’ Diary, 20th June 1921.
The Assembly is invited to say the following prayer together.
Lord, help us to be aware of our mission, which is to be artisans of peace and love in our communities and in our world today. Teach us to seek true peace only in you.
2nd day
Peace, Pope Leo XIV tells us, must be unarmed, that is, not based on fear, threats or weapons, but also disarming. Peace is disarming because it is capable of touching consciences, transforming relationships and opening paths to reconciliation, because it is capable of resolving conflicts, opening hearts and generating mutual trust, empathy and hope.
Sister Eugénie Caps said: “To love you, O Jesus, with true love, one must understand yours, and I, too busy with external things, did not know how to understand the intimate happiness you reserve for those who love you. Forgive me, my God, for my continual infidelities. Forgive the ingratitude of your child.” Cf. Sister Eugénie Caps’ Diary, 23rd March 1927.
The Assembly is invited to say the following prayer together.
Let us ask the Lord for the grace to let him transform our interpersonal relationships, so that they may increasingly resemble the love he has for us and expects from us. Let us pray for peace between different peoples and throughout the world.
3rd day
Pope Leo XIV emphasises that it is not enough to call for peace, but we must embody it in a way of life that rejects every form of violence, whether it be visible or structural. He insists on inner conversion and the intrinsic link between social justice and peace. He adds a particular emphasis on the disarming nature of peace, that is, its ability to break cycles of revenge and open new horizons.
Eugénie experiences a deep sense of peace and expresses it in these terms: “Peace is within me, it makes me more patient and gentler, gentleness in my manner, gentleness in my words and actions. Putting my piety exercises first. Prepare myself for them even more carefully. Detach myself even more from external things. More trust in divine Providence. Even more gentleness, more modesty and humility.”». Cf. Sister Eugénie Caps’ Diary, 29th March 1922.
The Assembly is invited to say the following prayer together.
Let us pray to the Lord to spare us from any spirit of vengeance, and to help us do everything in our power to bring about peace between us and among Peoples. Let us also pray for all those who are dedicated to peace in the world, as well as for all those who commit acts of violence in our societies.
Sister Félicité Makuété Tikun
for the Team of General Secretariat