We live in troubled times. There are many wars in the world. Pope Francis said that we are already in a fragmented third world war. Pope Leo XIV also consistently calls for weapons to fall silent and for warring parties to begin negotiating and agree on a peace.
Questions to think about: Do I have peace in my heart, soul, and conscience? What brings peace to my life? What worries me in life? Am I a peace spreader? Even in today’s troubled world, God invites us to draw on his peace through an active and deep spiritual life, prayer, and the Eucharist. Illustration image: Man and Faith/Martina Rehorová
Peace is a precious gift from God that begins in the human heart. Before the first people fell into sin, they lived in peace with God, themselves, and others. This is because God is the creator of peace. It was only when original sin entered a person’s life, bringing with it expulsion from paradise, that restlessness took hold, because an evil spirit is the creator of restlessness.
The prophet Isaiah offers excellent advice on achieving peace of heart: ‘This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: “I am the Lord your God; I will teach you what is best for you and lead you along the right path. If you had observed my orders, your peace would be like a river and your well-being like sea waves’ (Isaiah 48:17–18).
If we want peace in our hearts, souls, and consciences, we must observe God’s commandments – the Ten Commandments or the commandment to love God and neighbour. When we do not observe them and commit sins, we experience restlessness and remorse. It is often as simple as that, but challenging at the same time.
CHRIST, OUR PEACE
Lord Jesus Christ, ‘miracle Counsellor, mighty God, eternal Father, Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:5), restored God’s peace to us. When he was born on Christmas night in Bethlehem, the angels joyfully announced to the shepherds: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will!’ (Lk 2:14). As the apostle Paul writes in his Letter to the Ephesians: ‘For he himself is our peace!’ (Ephesians 2:14).
Indeed, Jesus Christ is the peace of humanity and the whole world. For every single human heart. After his glorious resurrection, when he appeared to the eleven apostles in the upper room, he greeted them with the words: ‘Peace be with you!’ (Jn 20:19). He left us this peace at the Last Supper: ‘I leave you peace; I give you my peace.’ But I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid“ (Jn 14:27).
Therefore, peace is Christ’s gift to all humanity. In his speech on the Mount of the Beatitudes, he himself invited us to spread his peace: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matthew 5:9). In the Letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul also encourages us to seek peace: ‘If it is possible, and it depends on you, live in peace with all people’ (Rom 12:18).
BE AN INSTRUMENT OF PEACE
