From the time of the Apostles and the earliest Christians during the Resurrection of Jesus, up to this very day, God’s invitation to mankind remains constant. The Risen Christ offers Himself to the disciples, in saying, “Peace be with you,” so that they may all find peace in Him. Now that we live in this modern, chaotic world, all the more we see the value of obtaining peace through Christ. As Jesus bids us peace, some of us are quick to respond and say that we’re at peace. But at times, our feelings and actions show otherwise. That just shows how the peace we’re claiming to have in ourselves is false peace.
Saint Francis of Assisi cautions us that talking of peace is one thing, but truly having it in our lives is another thing: “While proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it more fully in your heart.” He reminds us that we must try harder to bring peace not only by sowing it in words. We might think that uttering some harmonious words will create peace for you or for another person. However, deep down, the results of those words can actually bring you more unrest. That’s because, as Saint Francis points out, it is more important to first begin cultivating peace within ourselves, and then propagating it to those around us, not only in words, but in deeds.
Peace must be an action brought about by a genuine feeling, and not just a mere statement. I remember the quite popular adage or motto, “You can only give what you have.” It is mostly said in the context of love. But I think the same can also be said of peace. To have peace inside of you is to have those around you also feel a sense of peace because of you.
Sometimes, a particular situation, like a fight with a loved one or even an enemy, makes you depressed or angry. You answer back with hurtful words and actions. However, there are times when you do the opposite to try to escape the conflict or even “solve” it. You use words that seem nice, respectful or ‘peace-offering.’ But the problem is when they’re spoken or meant sarcastically. When situations are hard to deal with, we commonly fall into this kind of sin- saying something good but not meaning it well. And only God judges the truth in our words and actions, what is caused by goodness or driven by malice. Sadly, if we don’t guard what we say or do, the very thing that we are trying to accomplish for ourselves, which is inner peace, actually becomes far from reach. When our words, no matter how pleasant, cause hurt to another, be aware that they neither calm nor heal. Sooner or later, we will realize that our deep sense of peace happens not just by proclaiming of peace but more importantly, by having it in our inner being and radiating it to those around us, especially in bad times.
When your soul is much at peace, its fruits reflect God in you. In what ways? First, your thoughts spring forth deep spiritual reflection; Next, your words show gentleness and meekness; And then, your deeds give others joy, assurance, and understanding.
Here are the Bible verses that tell us more about peace:
Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
- Hebrews 12:14
And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.
[And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
- Ephesians 4:30-32
They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.
- Titus 3:2-3
Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels. A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil’s snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.
- 2 Timothy 2:23-26
(This particular verse just says that any quarrels, fights, and disturbance of peace is influenced or caused by the Devil. Now we know better. Once there is a fight, we know that the persons who cause it are under the influence of the Malignant Enemy. So we should act saintly and peacefully. Even it would seem that you’re ‘losing’ the argument or quarrel.)
Saint Francis knows that it is not easy to speak of peace. But he warns us that it is even much harder to attain it for yourself, and for those around you. That is why turning to Our Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is our hope in achieving this.
During the time of the Apostles, their lack of peace was mostly due to fear from persecution of those who believed in and followed Jesus. Some Catholics continue to face that kind of discrimination today, which make them fearful.
But there are many other reasons why most of us only have some sort of peace, but do not possess it “fully in the heart,” as Saint Francis says it needs to be. When we are worried, troubled, and burdened of our problems, when we lack confidence and trust in God, when we go through family or relationship problems, when we find our day-to-day activities to be difficult and draining, or when we go back and forth in what we must decide – all these can either slowly or swiftly take away the peace in us, even though we don’t initially feel it. If this goes on, we will realize that our spirit become unsettled, weakening our virtues and affecting our relationship with God and with the important people in our lives.
Actually, I had this feeling in the last couple of months. Initially, I thought that there’s peace in what I had in mind or what I did. I’ve been having many life concerns. So I got too relaxed in my prayer life. I forgot that I should never ever lessen my constant conversation with God in prayer. That’s because life got too hectic and I just let things flow as they were. Unable to pray long or hard enough like I used to, even though the situations I faced were beyond my control and not entirely my fault, my decisions and actions were confused and misguided. I know that some of us here get that confusion too, which inner voice is from God or which is not. After I saw the results of my actions, I’ve become since then more aware that peace should be as good on the inside as it is on the outside. I’ve realized the areas of my life that need improving to lead me in the path to holiness. Then, I’ve started to fully understand and gained a rightful and holy perspective of things that I’m trying much harder now to be a woman of God, especially if He wills it that I become a wife and a mother, constantly asking for His graces and the intercession of Our Blessed Mother.
This is why we must always openly examine ourselves to determine if our hearts have God-inspired peace and if our actions attest to this. God sees through the depths of our hearts:
Examine me, Lord, and test me; search my heart and mind.
- Psalm 26:2
Would not God have discovered this, God who knows the secrets of the heart?
- Psalm 44:22
Probe me, God, know my heart; try me, know my thoughts.
- Psalm 139:23 (a Psalm that has become among my favorites 3 months ago)
Saint Francis’ words imply that to say you are at peace or that you bring peace is easy. But to actually have it takes a lot of prayers, and self-examination, work, and discipline in behavior and attitudes. We are sometimes tempted to just run away from our responsibility, rather than face the truth of what God sees in us that we need to fix. Giving in to that temptation not only makes our life miserable, but also takes away the blessings God already gave right in front of you. As Catholics, our daily prayers, devotions, Sacraments, and reflections on the Gospel all combine to help us in this. But aside from reading and learning them, let us see to it that they all enrich the goodness of our actions. Through God’s help, compassion and mercy, you can attain lasting peace in your heart and become a symbol of peace to others.
Most importantly, peace is not only the absence of confusion or disorder, but the presence of love in one’s life. To talk peace is to speak of love; To live in peace is to show love. Genuine peace guides you not only in what you must do for yourself, but also in what you ought to do for your family, your loved ones, and your brothers and sisters in the Lord. Having peace fully in our hearts will bring us much closer to God as He continues to bless us, correct us, test us, and work through us.
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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