Dear Friends,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” These words are always timely and seem especially appropriate for our world right now. In his book Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI states, “When men lose sight of God, peace disintegrates and violence proliferates to a formerly unimaginable degree of cruelty.” If you drive around enough, you see churches with signs playing off the mantra “no justice, no peace” that read, “No Jesus, No Peace; Know Jesus, Know Peace.” Undoubtedly, there is a strong connection between knowing Jesus Christ, justice, and peace, and therefore, a connection between this beatitude and “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (justice), for they will be satisfied.” Pope Paul VI reigned as pope during the ‘60s and ‘70s and once quipped, “If you want peace, work for justice.”
If we’re going to discuss being a peacemaker, it means we have to discuss peace. What is peace? It’s more than being a hippie and holding up the peace sign with two fingers. In Sacred Scripture, peace is much more than the usual simple reduction of it being the absence of war, conflict, or trouble. Certainly, peace does involve the absence of war or conflict, but it is also more than that. When there is merely the absence of war or conflict, when there is a truce, there may still be underlying animosities; there still may be a “cold war” occurring, even among individuals, and there is no peace. What’s needed for peace is more than simply a cessation of war and conflict; what’s needed for peace is reconciliation: both parties brought together and reconciled. With this in mind, we can look to our Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate peacemaker, who put hatred to death on the Cross and reconciled man with God. A peacemaker is one who brings people together, not simply for a truce, but in order to bring about and facilitate reconciliation among opponents.
Because of this and going back to the very beginning of this column, enmity with and opposition to God are the sources of all that poison a person and humanity in general. Overcoming this enmity and opposition is the basic condition for peace/shalom in the world. Only the person who is reconciled with God can also be reconciled and in harmony with himself, and only the person who is reconciled with God and with himself can establish peace around him and throughout the world. Peace is the sign that the reign and primacy of God have been established in a soul, but the peaceful person will not confine himself to a passive attitude. Instead, a peaceful person will be ready to fight for peace, conquer it, defend it, and spread that peace around him or her.
Particularly in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word used for peace is “shalom.” Shalom contains a very rich sense of peace. Again, it is more than the absence of conflict, and it is even more than reconciliation. Shalom enfolds all of life and brings happiness; it is among God’s choicest gifts. Shalom implies being filled with good things. The name “Solomon” derives its roots from shalom. As we say that peacemakers will be called children of God, we remember that Jesus is the Son of God and is the true “Solomon;” Jesus is the true bringer of shalom. Establishing peace, therefore, is part of the very essence of being the Son of God. This beatitude, then, invites us to be and do what the Son does, so that we ourselves may become children of God.
We are saints under construction, called to be children of God by living as peacemakers. Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt