My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Recently on national television two well-known personalities who normally get along with each other got into a shouting match. The topic was race. During the "Hot Topics" segment on the television program The View, Rosie O'Donnell claimed, "You don't have to be black to know what racism is." Whoopi Goldberg replied, "Yes, you do." From there the conversation turned into bitter screaming.

This episode is symptomatic of the racial tensions that have flared up in recent weeks in the aftermath of grand juries that declined to indict white police officers who, in the line of duty, killed two black men in Ferguson, Mo., and New York, respectively. In apparent retaliation for these killings, a gunman shot dead two New York City police officers in what officials called an "assassination," hours after warning on social media that he planned an attack in retribution for recent police killings of black crime suspects. Compounding this tragedy are disgusting displays of some people celebrating the despicable murder of these police officers.

Divisions between people can never be healed as long as people are pointing fingers at each other instead of examining their own consciences. President Obama recently tried to make this point when he said, "The good book says, don't throw stones in glass houses, or, make sure we're looking at the log in our eye before we are pointing out the mote in other folks' eyes." The president received some criticism for this, since the first part of his quote is actually not found in the Bible, but he still makes a valid point which is expressed better in the second part of the quote, which is found in the Gospel of St. Matthew. A more modern translation of this passage renders Jesus saying, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye" (Matthew 7:1-3).

While the president was speaking in the context of disagreements over immigration policy, the point well applies to race and to any other issue where one side tends to blame the other. As long as people only see the wrongdoings of others, whether real or imagined, and not take notice of their own shortcomings, the pattern of blame and hostility will continue in an endless cycle. This is true whether the disagreement is an international dispute or a domestic argument between husband and wife. Jesus shows us that the way to replace hatred with love is to start by looking into our own hearts, acknowledging our own sins, and resolving to avoid them in the future, with the help of God's grace. If everyone were to do this, the whole community could then work together to help each other to treat one another better.

The Bible reminds us that angels announced the birth of Our Savior by proclaiming, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to people of good will" (Luke 2:14). During this Christmas season and as we begin a new year, we should recognize that there would be lot more peace and good will towards all if everyone were to resolve to live as Christ taught.

In his Message for the World Day of Peace, Jan. 1, 2015, Pope Francis writes, "In her 'proclamation of the truth of Christ's love in society,' the Church constantly engages in charitable activities inspired by the truth of the human person. She is charged with showing to all the path to conversion, which enables us to change the way we see our neighbors, to recognize in every other person a brother or sister in our human family, and to acknowledge his or her intrinsic dignity in truth and freedom."

My prayer for this new year is that racial hatreds will be overcome, that ethnic prejudices and discrimination among all races may stop, that violence everywhere may cease, that lawful authority may be respected, that employment and educational opportunities may abound, that families and communities may abide in harmony, and that everyone will be able to live together in peace.

May God give us this grace. Amen.