When you find yourself in a cascade of negative thoughts and emotions, lonely, anxious, or overwhelmed, take up arrows against the enemies of our peace ...

There is a story of a wise sage who would instruct his followers in the most surprising ways. One day, his students found him searching for a lost item in the crowded marketplace. They all got down on the ground to join him in the search. After hours of searching, the lost item was not found. One student asked the sage, “Are you sure you lost it here?” The sage responded, “Oh no, I lost it in my house. But my house is dark and there is much more light out here.” The exasperated students caught the lesson: So often we look for things in places where they can not be found. The peace we are searching for is found in the God who desires to make His “home in us” (Jn 14:23). We do not have to go searching the world to find it.

Peace is not merely a life without conflict; rather, it is what St. Augustine describes as “the tranquility of order.” Our God is a God of order. When He created the world, He formed man in a garden, a place of beauty and concord, rather than the wilderness. This intentionality is a revelation of the peace He desires for His creation. In the garden, man lived in harmony with God, himself, and the created world (cf. CCC 374). When man turned from God, sin entered the world, and this harmony was lost. This pattern repeats itself in our own lives when we turn from God; sin scatters, divides, and disintegrates us from God and our innermost selves. Yet God’s ways will not be frustrated; His plan is to unite all things in Christ (cf. Eph 1:10). When our lives are ordered toward Him, we give Him the space to activate His plan for peace in our lives. He will integrate all our scattered pieces and bring peace to the innermost places of our being. Yet, we must have the courage to enter into our own hearts.

Sr. Maris Stella, SV

Sr. Maris Stella, SV

I belong to Love

His presence is our peace