The Peace of Christ
by Father Paul A. Duffner, O.P.
Usually one is quick to notice on entering a Catholic Church, where the
Blessed Sacrament is Reserved - a Sense of
Peace and Tranquility, a Quiet Oasis apart from the Noise and Distractions
of the Outside World. Even non-Catholics have noticed this at times, without knowing the reason why. One experiences the Fulfillment of
the Promise of our Divine Savior in the Tabernacle:
“Come to Me all you who Labor and find life Burdensome, and I will Refresh you”
(Matthew 11:28).
Yet, the Peace and Tranquility which
He Promises, and which we Momentarily Experience is the 'Calm after the Storm', a
Peace that was won through War. It is a
Peace that was won through the Bloodshed and
Suffering, the Scourging and
Crowning, the Humiliation and
Rejection, the Three (3) Hour Agony of
Christ’s Passion and
Death. In all this, the Prince of Peace conquered the
Evil One who is the Arch-Enemy of
Peace, the Ultimate Source of all Disobedience
and Rebellion, of all Envy and
Hatred, of all Injustice and
Violence, in a word of all Obstacles
to Peace; and at present he
seems to have won many to his Cause.
The Mystical Press - Fount of all Grace - by da Siena
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The very 'Material Elements' of the Eucharist are a reminder that this
Peace was won through Trial and
Suffering. The Grape had to be Crushed to Release the Juice from which the
Wine is made; and the Grain of Wheat had to Die in order to Increase and Multiply. And those
Grains, in turn, had to be Crushed and Ground-fine in order
to produce the Flour from which the Bread is made. “Unless the Grain of Wheat falls to the ground and dies, it
remains just a Grain of Wheat. But if it dies, it produces much Fruit” (John 12:24). How beautiful a
Symbol of the Peace that Christ brings. How
wonderful a reminder of the Price of Peace, that is, the
Cost of Receiving those Divine Helps that bring
Peace. How Salutary a Reflection for those who are yearning for
Peace. It is easy to forget the Suffering and
Sacrifice of which the Blessed Sacrament is a Memorial, and which are the
Price of the Peace which
Christ came to bring to the World.
Peace as the World Sees It
Our Blessed Lord explained to the Apostles the Night before
He Died, that the Peace He came to
bring is not the same as Peace as the World understands it.
“Peace is My farewell to you, My Peace is My Gift to you. I do not give it to you as the World gives
Peace” (John 14:27). Peace, as the World understands it,
is a 'Negative-Concept', namely, the Absence of Conflict and
Disturbance. Nations usually consider themselves at Peace when they are
not at War with another Nation, or not experiencing
Rebellion or Conflict from within; while Families think of themselves at
Peace when there is not Quarreling
between Family Members, and an Individual may speak of Peace in terms of not
being Disturbed. “Don’t bother me, let me have some
Peace”.
Yet these 'Negative-Concepts' of Peace - Peace as
the World sees it - are far from the Peace that Christ
Promised to those who follow Him. We may think of our own Country as being at
Peace, but it is a Peace without
God; for those Establishing our Laws Reject the Clear Teachings
of the Scriptures as to the Sanctity of Human Life,
of Marriage and the Family as intended by the Creator.
Yet, the Real Enemy of Peace, as we have pointed out,
is not the Rulers of Nations, or Disturbing Elements within them, but the Evil One who
uses Deceived Human Individuals as his Instruments in
Disrupting the Order Established by
God.
The Tranquility of Order
When our First Parents came into this World they enjoyed
Perfect Harmony and Tranquility within their Whole Being. Their
Lower Nature (the Appetites and Passions of the
Body) were Perfectly Subject-to their Higher Nature (
Intellect and Will) so that there was no
Interior Conflict between the Dictates of Reason and the
Appetites and Passions of the
Body; and their Higher Nature in turn was subject to
God. That Order of the Subjection of the
Lower Being to the Higher was established by
God as an Indispensable Condition for Peace. That was the
Order Saint Augustine referred to when he defined Peace
as “the Tranquility of Order”. Insofar as that Order
is maintained, Man will experience Peace within himself, within the Family, within the Nation. And
insofar as that Order is lacking within the Individual, or Family, or Nation -
True Peace will be Wanting.
In the Physical Order of Creation, all the Stars and Planets revolve in their Orbits without deviation, and all the Laws of Nature are
Perfectly Fulfilled without exception. Yet, in the Moral Order of
Creation, the Order established for Creatures possessing
Free Will (Angels and Men), that
Order must be maintained by Freely Choosing what God
has Ordained. However, due to the Consequences of Original
Sin, the Right Choice will be made only if the
Selfish Inclinations of our Fallen Nature have been
Disciplined and brought under Control in a Battle that is Life-long. This
explains what we have already indicated, that the Peace that
Christ came to bring to the World is a Peace that is won through
War - War on our
Self-Seeking Tendencies.
The Basis of Peace
Seven (7) Infused Virtues
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Three (3)
Theological
Virtues |
Four (4)
Moral
Virtues
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Faith
Hope
*Charity
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Prudence
*Justice
Fortitude
Temperance
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The True Peace of which we speak is a Gift of God
(John 14:27), not something we can Attain by Ourselves alone, for it is Dependent especially on the
Infused Virtues of Justice and
Charity. Centuries before Christ,
Isaiah the Prophet wrote: “Justice will bring about Peace” (32:17).
Pope John Paul II, commenting on this Passage while speaking to the College of Cardinals, referred to the on-going
Battle that must be Waged against our Self-Seeking Tendencies:
“Where there is no Justice, there can be no Peace, because Injustice is itself a Disorder. Where there
is no respect for Human Rights - I mean those Inalienable Rights which are inherent in every Man by his Nature - there
can be no Peace. Where there is no Moral Formation to Favor the Growth of Good, there can be no Peace, because it is always necessary to
keep watch and contain the Destructive Tendencies which Nestle in the Heart of Man”.
Saint Thomas Aquinas points out, however, that while Peace is indirectly an
Effect of Justice insofar as it Removes the Obstacles
to Peace, e.g. an Injury inflicted, a Right
Denied; yet, more properly it is the Fruit of Charity, for “Charity
of its very nature causes Peace, for Love is a Unitive Force”
(II II,29, 3, ad 2).
There will be Peace among Persons who are moved by
Charity, for they Love God above all things, and that
Love extends to the Children of the Heavenly Father, for
Whose Sake they Refrain from anything that would be
Injurious or Offensive to any of
His Children. This is because Charity Orders all things in Relation-to
God, and this produces an Inner Peace of Soul,
as well as an Exterior Peace in one's Relations with others.
Holy Spirit's
Divine Life
given at Baptism
Baptism
(7 Virtues)
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Faith
Hope
*Charity
Prudence
Fortitude
*Justice
Temperance
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Christ by His
Passion and Death, won for us a share in
His Own Divine Life, a share in His Own Love
for the Father. It is this Gift of Charity
which enables us to seek God’s Will above all things, and to seek our
Neighbor’s
Good as well as our own. Thus as the Love of God
begets Love of Neighbor, there is a Harmonious Concord
among those who Share the Father’s Love.
However, because we possess this Charity only
Imperfectly in this life, due to our Weakened Human Nature, we will
experience that Inner Peace, only in the Measure that Growth in the
Divine Life, received at Baptism, progresses.
This sharing in God’s Love through Charity
is the Source of that Inner Tranquility, for it establishes
Harmony within Oneself and with Others by restraining Conflicting Desires.
Yet, this Inner Harmony will never be Perfect
in this Life; for while Charity diminishes the Resistance of the
Flesh against the Spirit, in this Life it never Totally Suppresses it.
The Means of Peace
Since the Peace of which we speak is a Gift of God,
it is obvious that Prayer will be an Important Element in Attaining and Persevering in it. And since,
as is expressed in the Official Worship of the Church, “His Will is our
Peace”, we must rely on Prayer and Self-Discipline to bring our
Will in Subjection to His. We must rely on
Him Who gave His Life that we may have not only
Eternal Peace in the Life to Come, but Peace
also in this “Valley of Tears”. And nowhere can we approach our Divine
Lord more Intimately than in His Eucharist Presence in the
Tabernacle and Holy Communion.
We have seen how the Eucharist is a Symbol and Reminder of the fact that the
Peace that Christ brings comes at a Price;
and that Price is the Sacrifices that we have to make to keep
His Commandments, to fulfill the Duties of our State in Life, and to bear the
Crosses that the Father allows. Faithful
and Generous Submission to these Manifestations of God’s
Will, not only keep our Will Subject to
His, bringing Peace, but Disciplines
our Lower Nature, which, without Vigilance, tends to become an
Obstacle in these matters. The Spiritual Power accomplishing this comes
from Above, for if one strives to return the Father’s Love by a
Faithful and Generous fulfillment of
His Will, little-by-little the Disorders of our Lower
Nature are Healed. Referring to this, Saint Augustine asks:
“Does your Soul desire to overcome your Lower Inclinations? Let it be subject to Him Who is on High,
and it will Conquer the Lower Self. You will experience Inner Peace, True, Secure and Well-Ordered. In what does this Order consist?
God Commands the Soul; the Soul Commands the Body; and there is nothing more Orderly than that”.
Since, as we saw, our Love for the Father
begets Love of Neighbor, our Inner Peace and
our Peace with others will depend on the extent that we are at
Peace with our Heavenly Father. A Person can be in the
State of Grace, and still be filled with much Self-Love that stands in
the way of Complete Surrender to the Divine Will, and therefore Diminishes
Peace within Oneself and with his Neighbor. That is to say, Love
for the Father can differ enormously between different persons, from:
the Minimum to remain in the State of Grace
to Heroic Self-Giving in Union with
His only-begotten Son.
For the former, Faithful use of Sacramental Confession
will be one of the Main Ways that God has given to Restore or Increase the
Peace of Soul that has been Diminished through Sin or by
Failure to Cooperate with His Grace. Since
Pride is the Greatest Obstacle to Grace,
there is needed a Humble Acknowledgment of one's Weaknesses,
Faults and Negligence's that stand in the way of Fulfilling
God’s Will, and therefore of Peace. Well aware of the Source of
True Peace, Isaiah the Prophet exclaimed:
“There is no Peace for the Wicked” (48:22).
The Paradox of Peace
From what we have considered, we can see there can be a Two-Fold Concept of
Peace:
A Man-Made Peace (Peace as the World
thinks of it, a 'Negative-Concept' consisting in the Removal of Disturbing Elements;
A Peace that comes from God that can be
present even in the Midst-of Disturbing Elements.
When one Loses Sight of his Eternal Destiny, his Goals are Limited to his Temporal Well
Being. He is content with a Man-Made Peace, even though it is merely Cessation of some
Disturbing Situation, only Temporary, Fragile and Insecure, and does not bring
Inner Tranquility of Soul. He sees the cause
of the Lack of Peace as something external to himself. He loses sight not
only of the Eternal Goal of his Life, but of his own Human
Dignity and that of his Neighbor as Adopted Children of
God, made to His Own Likeness and Image. Such a
Peace is destined to end in Disillusion, for the
Heart of Man is Made-for and Craves a Peace far more
Satisfying and Lasting.
In contrast with this, the Disciple of Christ knows that following
Him will involve a Cross. “If anyone wishes
to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his Cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). He knows that the
Peace that Christ Promised does not mean the
Absence of Trials, Suffering and
Persecution; but on the Contrary, a Peace in
the midst of them, for they Occasion Sacrifices through which
Love is Expressed. One will never find the Peace that
Christ Promised by Running Away from Trials and
Hardships of Life, but rather by bearing them in a Spirit of Faith,
and Trust, and Love.
Queen of Peace
Since, as we have seen, the Surrender of our Will to
God's is what brings that Inner Peace of
Soul, Our Lady can truly be called Queen of
Peace; for her Will was United with that of
the Father More Perfectly than any other
Human Person during the whole of her life on Earth.
Too, she shared, as did no other, in the Redeeming
Sacrifice by which her
Son won for us that Peace. Hers
was that Inner Peace that comes from knowing that God’s
Will is being Fulfilled, Painful as it may be at times.
She experienced Tragedies far greater that we will ever encounter,
yet never for a moment Doubted God's
Love and Concern. Those
Painful Moments increased enormously her already
Fullness of Grace. Thus Mary remains the
Perfect Model for all her Children in Times of
Sorrow or Tragedy, One Who
understands Sorrow and can obtain Healing
Graces.
 At Fatima, Our Lady asked Three Small
Children to “Pray the Rosary every day in Honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain Peace
in the World, and the End of the War, because only she can obtain it” (Apparition July 13,
1917). Such is the Blessed Mother’s
Power for Peace in the Divine Plan.
This should not surprise us, for as we pointed out, Satan is the Ultimate Cause of
Sin and the Lack of Peace in the World; and
the Lord, the Ultimate Source of Goodness and
Peace - has decreed an Eternal
Enmity between the Devil and the
Woman (Mary) Whom
He has Chosen as His
Instrument in Crushing the
Power of the Evil One (Genesis 3:15).
Our Divine Lord wishes to use His
Mother in Restoring Peace, not only among Nations, but in
Families and Individual Souls.
 In times of Sorrow and Suffering, then,
call upon Mary. She will
Help you to see God’s Will and
Fatherly Concern at work in every Trial, and never to doubt that
He can bring Good out of every
Difficult Situation, if only we Trust in Him.
She will Teach you to go to the Sources of Peace:
the Tabernacle, the Confessional, and
her own Immaculate Heart.
She will remind you of your Eternal Destiny which Outweighs in
Importance all your Earthly Goals. When Moments of Anxiety, or
Fear, or Sadness have Obscured the Remembrance of the
Price Jesus Paid to bring us
Peace, she will invite you to stand beside
her in Prayer at the Foot of the
Cross; and not only will your Problems seem
very Small in Comparison, but you will see them in a Different Light.
Blessed Mother,
Queen of Peace,
Pray for us.
Amen
| Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., President of Gonzaga University,
details the Graces received in the Holy Eucharist, which include the Peace of Christ.
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Angels are Persons also, made in the Image and Likeness of
God.
