Pope Leo XIV delivered an encouraging message to Mennonites who gathered in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29, 2025. Upon the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Anabaptist movement, Pope Leo began his letter with “Peace be with you,” quoting Christ’s words in John 20:19.
From the Aramaic language used among the fearful Jerusalem disciples to the written Greek language of the Apostle John, to the Latin of the medieval Catholic Bible, to the English I can understand, “Peace be with you” undergirds that which is good in civilization, it advances the betterments of human culture, and it enlivens the better angels of our nature.
A politician has stated that “We live in a world…that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time.” I think the advisor misunderstands the way the world works. The laws of cooperation and positive human interactions have propelled technological advances since the beginning of time; the spirit of human ingenuity improves our lives; and the hopes of men and women for a better planet push us to explore, build, and create. Dictators and brutal armies have repeatedly failed with force. In reality, it is the undergirding pillars of peace and human interaction that have led to advances in our world, not the so-called iron laws of force and brute power.
This spring, I visited a small congregation on two successive Sunday mornings. These folks in Page County, Virginia, are actively serving their community. They assist children at the local school who are food-insecure with weekend backpacks of food, and they volunteer at a Luray humanitarian mission that provides family assistance to community members. When they lit their peace lamp during worship, it moved me deeply, and I can’t quite explain why except that I think my friends have discovered the joy in sharing the Master’s peace with others in their community.
NBC News recently surveyed Americans’ common beliefs and values. They found that as a people, Americans have far more in common than what divides us. In 2026, I’ve given tours at the Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center, where I work, to folks from Virginia and 10 additional states. I find that wherever people come from, we are much alike; we share similar hopes and are like-minded on many values.
To accept peace as our guiding motif for living enables us to choose life over death and to stand for justice rather than warfare. The simple words “peace be with you,” spoken today, with purpose, hope, and action, can transform our world for good far more than weapons of warfare and destruction.