viam pacis is a Latin phrase meaning "into the way of peace" and is found at the conclusion of Zechariah's great prayer of praise to God and promise for his son, John the Baptist, found in Luke 1:68-79.

In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

As part of the great morning prayer (Benedictus) of the church, we are reminded each day that our hope for an eternal future of peace in heaven lies beyond a path leading through the darkness and death of life here on earth. It is only through God's compassionate gift of his Son Jesus -- the true light, the dawn -- that we may find our way. This light is given to us in Holy Scripture, the writings of the Church Fathers, the examples of the lives of the saints, and in our daily prayer and devotion. When this light is infused in our lives -- head and heart, body and soul, word and deed -- in a practical and ever-present way, we may be encouraged and given strength to continue on the way.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical letter Spe Salvi, taught that our hope, "our encounter with the God who in Christ has shown us his face and opened his heart be for us not just informative but performative -- that is to say, can it change our lives?" It's not just an intellectual exercise, but a tangible and active search for and following of this way of peace. May this site help each of us to continue along that path.