In the vision of the psalmist this Sunday, "Justice and peace shall kiss." While President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev didn't kiss this week, they did sign a preliminary agreement to reduce the world's two largest nuclear stockpiles by as much as one third. 

When sending his disciples out two by two in this Sunday's gospel, Jesus suggests they will not be welcomed in all places. Some ethnic groups in western China do not welcome each other's presence, a state of affairs that contributed this week to ethnic riots and street battles that have killed at least 156 people and injured many hundreds more. 

The prophet Amos, from whom we hear this Sunday, urged the Jewish people to keep the needs of the poor always in mind. Pope Benedict XVI issued an encyclical Tuesday that calls for a new world financial order guided by ethics and the search for the common good. 

This Sunday's reading from the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of redemption. The Obama administration, hoping to redeem a push for comprehensive healthcare legislation that some say has been floundering, announced this week that major hospital organizations have agreed to save the nation $155 billion in healthcare expenses over the next 10 years. 

"War is so complex it's beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend. Our judgment, our understanding, are not adequate. And we kill people unnecessarily."

President Obama's aggressive communications strategy in his first five months in office has resulted in 173 speeches, almost 24 press conferences, including three in prime time, and 50 interviews.