Woman at Prayer - 3, "Peace"

A third in a series of essays from the booklet A Woman at Prayer by Rev. Conleth Overman

PEACE, IT'S WONDERFUL

We each make our peace or mar it.

We live in a confused, mad world. And if we are not careful we shall all be mad. It will be worth our while, therefore, to try to understand what peace is and how we can acquire it for our­selves. 

The opposite of peace is chaos. When contrary forces collide head on, when warring, hostile per­sonalities meet, when pressures are applied from many sides, the result is a state of disorder. Lives are ruined, happiness destroyed, minds are twisted, in an atmosphere of enmity and con­fusion. 

We were made for the enjoyment of peace. Had there been no sin in the world, peace would be our permanent environment. In a better world undisturbed by sin, peace would come naturally to us. But today, given the world as it is, we must use intelligence and determination to ac­quire for ourselves the peace we need to live in. 

Thomas Aquinas has given us the classical definition of peace: "Peace, is the tranquillity of order."  We can transfer his definition into more familiar idiom:  "Peace is having everything in its place". Once you put things where they belong you begin to enjoy the tranquillity and serenity of mind that we call peace. 

Peace is not dead, passive stagnation. St.  Thomas' definition of peace allows for a full measure of satisfying activity. It is possible to have the interplay of great forces, of powerful streams of thought and action, as long as they are ordered, properly subordinated, that is, in their proper places. 

We all agree that peace is very desirable; we admit, also, that we can live a full life under the reign of peace; the question now is, how can we acquire peace in our day. The answer is not hard to find: Personal peace is the product of the virtue of justice. This is what the Holy Spirit meant in the Psalms by the verse: "Justice and peace have embraced." (Ps. 85:11) 

Justice is the virtue that inclines us to give to everyone what is due to them. Justice gives us a calm view of everything ;  justice enables us to have the proper perspective, to give the right emphasis. What disturbs us most is that we do not see things clearly. We over-value trifles, we under-value essentials. And the result of such confused thinking is restlessness, confusion, wasted effort, the feeling of failure and frustra­tion.

Most of us get the impression of peacefulness from St. Joseph. In the pages of the New Testa­ment he moves with quietness and sureness. He had great problems and heavy responsibilities; but he was ever in peace. What was the secret of his peace? St. Matthew tells us: "For Joseph .... was a just man." (1:19).   Joseph was unafraid and unconfused because his eyes were firmly fixed on what was right, what was due to God and man. 

Once we are persons of peace, then we can begin to weave a pattern of peace around us. We should make our own the prayer of St. Francis of Assissi: 

"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon; 

Where there is doubt, faith; 

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light; 

And where there is sadness, joy." ,