“In you, Lord, I have found my peace.” These words from Psalm 131, as sung on the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, speak to me as we pray daily for peace. Sadly, we are constantly reminded of the bloodshed and trauma happening across the world right now, most specifically in the Middle East and Ukraine. With so many advancements and signs of “progress” in our world, why is peace so hard to achieve?
Probably because we so often overlook that the Lord is peace.
We are human. We empathize with those experiencing extreme turmoil, such as war, and yet we fail to see how our small actions – or our inactions – may contribute to a lack of peace in our own communities and homes. In the microcosm of my classroom, although we pray for peace each day, we inevitably face teasing and gossip in our midst. The children have the best intentions, but they – like the rest of us – make mistakes. As their teacher, I strive to help them look in the mirror.
In helping them navigate social situations, with a sacramental worldview, I encourage my students to think of the ways in which the sacraments change us, enabling us to bring Christ into the world. In one of our recent discussions, the children recognized how the words of the Our Father remind us of being sacramental. Every time we say this prayer, we ask God to forgive us for our failings, “as we forgive” those who have hurt us. Not only is this a good idea, but our own pardon is conditional upon our personal actions. In exercising forgiveness, we too are forgiven.
If God forgives us when we falter, as sacramental people it is our responsibility to act mercifully towards our neighbours. In the sacrament of reconciliation, the grace we receive allows our hearts to heal and also to forgive others, thus bringing Christ and his loving mercy into the world in tangible ways.
In a 2008 article, “You’re holier than you know” (published on uscatholic.org), Bishop Robert Barron wrote about the beautiful, large rose windows in medieval Gothic cathedrals. He explained that pilgrims are drawn to “meditate upon the rose of light and colour” which leads them to witness an image of Christ at the centre of every rose. Bishop Barron states, “The message of the window is clear: When one’s life is centred on Christ, all the energies, aspirations, and powers of the soul fall into a beautiful and satisfying pattern.”
Christ needs to be the centre of our lives for us to find holiness and harmony. Christ needs to be the centre of our lives for us to share the benefits of that harmony in the ways we act in the world. No matter how hard we seek peace, we will not find it if we do not bring peace to each little corner of our lives. We need Christ to do this.
It is not enough to merely pray for peace “in the world” or “in war-torn countries.” Peace must start at home, at the grocery store, in our workplaces, on our teams, in our communities and even in our churches. If our worldview is not Christ-centred or sacramental, peace will remain a distant dream.
Remembrance Day feels especially poignant this year as we hear of devastation each day. As we remember those who have died in the name of peace and freedom, and as we pray for reconciliation in our communities, our country, and the world, let us remember to look in the mirror and examine our consciences and our actions regularly.
This Remembrance Day, let us remember that the evils of war start in small ways. Let us pray that, with God’s grace, we may bring peace to the world in small ways, as well.
To support our efforts, I leave you with the beautiful prayer of St. Augustine: “Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.”