Finding peace

The essential mystery of the cross is that it gives rise to a certain kind of loneliness, an inability to see clearly how things are unfolding, an inability to see that, ultimately, all things will work for our good, and that we are indeed, not alone. “ (Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, The Gift of Peace)

In 2013, I had a student who at the time directed a regional UN branch in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A country of little political or economic interest to the world powers, its inner turmoil was ignored. He shared his experience as one of a four-man delegation that worked with the DRC government, negotiating with leaders of 3 rebel groups. They focused on relations with rebels and government officials towards the goal of a peaceful surrender, disarming the rebels and integrating them into the national army. In three months, the three militia leaders had surrendered with over 3,000 combatants.  

Peace is possible. Peace isn’t found on MSNBC, Fox or MTV. It isn’t found in any of the billions of blogs on the Internet or commentators on social media. It isn’t found in a Tik Tok challenge or in the money earned by selling your body on Only Fans. Peace is only found in stillness, in “the whistling of gentle air” (1 Kings 19:12). It requires that we move beyond thinking we trust in God and move instead to believing the all-powerful God of the universe. He is the God who doesn’t need us at all but wants us so much. The God who created us in His image to love, and wove within the fabric of our nature the virtues needed to do so. Only with true belief can we trust. Then we can also believe in the Holy Spirit’s ability to convert hearts, Mother Mary’s ability to bring those hearts to Jesus, and the communion of saints and angels to guide, mentor and protect us. 

All of which starts and centers in belief. 

Peace isn’t grandiose. It is humble, quiet, and small. It is found in the stillness, silence and small ways. 

Peace doesn’t just happen. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit at work. It is an outcome, which means their first must be action towards peace. This peace isn’t an emotion, although it can and does calm the emotions. It is an interior state of heart and when we rest in it, we become the voice of reason within the midst of the world’s chaos. And there is no middle ground; those who do not walk in this peace either are creating the chaos with their anger, arrogance, and sensationalism or, by their silence, are supporting it. In my student’s experience, a mere four men got 3000+ armed rebels to not only lay down their arms but to also integrate back into the national army. People of faith can do much, much, more. 

“Christian hope necessarily fosters a certain kind of optimism—not the optimism that concerns the outcome of a contingent predicament but the optimism for life in general. Christians are not, so to speak, watching the scoreboard to see who wins. We already know, for the final victory has been achieved in Christ’s death and resurrection. Christians who cultivate the theological virtue of hope naturally becomes more optimistic in their interpretation of events around them, knowing that God is able to weave even the worst of situations into his plan for our good. A firm belief in providence—based on the assurance that, as St. Paul says, “for them that love God all things work together unto good”—leads to a more positive outlook even of externally negative happenings.…So what did he (Pope John Paul II) discern? The first significant sign of spring does not involve twittering birds and pink buds. What we see first is slush and mud: The world in spring gets uglier before it gets prettier.” (Thomas D. Williams, The Springtime of John Paul II)

 But the people of faith are distracted. Perhaps we are in the transitional slush and mud that must precede the springtime. Commentators online of all political stripes have their attention, often using God’s name and even the name of His Church while they denigrate His children openly in public. Pride is contagious and is the surest way to grow an audience. It too often leads to the mortal sin of detraction, robbing someone of their good name, and from there calumny—the person knows what they say isn’t or might not be true but in their anger they believe themselves justified in saying it. Meanwhile, battles in Catholic circles over liturgies, attire, schooling, parenting, and child rearing are morphed by the rapidly-growing addiction to false visionaries and their promoters. These sins of folly open one up to the mortal sins of superstition and idolatry. 

“Anxious spiritual prognostication in a time of historical uncertainty is foolhardy; it simply agitates the soul. The impulse to speculate whether a final period of history is already underway confronts God’s refusal to answer impetuous questions. If there are notable signs of a grave hour  in the present day, in the Church and outside her, they nonetheless do not by any means indicate a definitive time of reckoning in the near future. … Those who seek a clear, unhindered view across the horizon of time desire an impossible knowledge. … Perhaps God does not allow us to know what is coming next in history precisely because He wants from us a serious approach to prayer….Nothing is fixed and determined in accord with a timeline, because God allows prayer to affect both personal lives and history itself. This is the constant reminder contained in the approved apparitions of Mary. The history of a last era of the Church, once we have entered it, will be no different. It will have an unknown timeline subject to the impact of prayer upon the heart of God. “ (Fr. Donald Haggerty, The Hour of Testing, p. 36-38)

The action to take towards peace doesn’t begin online; it isn’t external action. Rather it is interior action, choosing God first and making time with Him the first priority in one’s day. In a world that is increasingly violent against people of faith, faith only survives amongst the true believers, those who have this interior conviction that comes from a relationship with God. The path our God has given us isn’t found in online commentators, forums, visionaries, and their promoters. His path is through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, taught through 2000 years of saints and holy teachers. He has provided us with a rich deposit of faith so immense in endless treasures. And all He asks is that we let down our guard, our self-protecting controlling ways, our escape into the sensationalism of the media, and be vulnerable in the stillness with Him. 

“God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass—grow in silence. See the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.” (Mother Teresa)

It is the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God.

–1 Peter 3:4

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 😊

P.S. In addition to the excellent articles on solitude and virtue at SpiritualDirection.com, a new Avila Institute Course, Purification of Your Fiat, on boundaries from the Catholic faith-view. Also offered is a free online Advent-prep retreat November 8, How to be His “focusing on the power and promise of the Eucharist”. It is led by Dominican formators Fr. Jesse Maingot, Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer.

(Image by Andrea Gulotta via Pexels)