Seeking Peace
Sitting here in the glory of this spring morning, a quiet breeze touches my cheek and tickles the leaves as it passes by. It’s intoxicating fragrance dances in my nostrils. Amazingly I am at peace, sucking in every possible ounce of this moment.
I am usually running at breakneck speeds as I untangle, connect, and attack my seemingly endless mounting workload. Today however I am away from all that and in my own little corner of paradise which makes this time all the more sweet.
I believe with all my heart and it is confirmed in Scripture and many of the writings of those much closer to God than myself that God wishes to pour his peace on us. It couldn’t have been more evident than when we read the account after the resurrection when Christ first appeared to his disciples in the locked upper room, “Peace be with you.”
He didn’t reprimand the disciples for abandoning him or denying him. He just breathed on them and wished them his peace. Wow! That is so unlike any human response I might give in the same situation. Jesus goes on further to say, “My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Jesus reminds us again, “Do not let your hearts be troubled…”
Is there a reoccurring message there we might need to hear?
It seems to me that while it can look like we are amid chaos and unrest, it is very possible to have an inner peace where it is still and calm. This is the peace Christ wishes to extend to us. Fr. Jacques Philippe gives us this example,
In order to understand this we can use an image that can be illuminating. Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining. If the surface of a lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly it will be reflected. If on the contrary, the surface of the lake is agitated, undulating, then the image of the sun can not be reflected in it. It is like this with our soul in relationship to God. The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it…the more his grace acts through us.
That imagery I found helpful in my desire to strive more readily for peace.
God’s Word is meant to be for us a source of strength, encouragement, recollection, hope, inspiration, education, and empowerment…need I go on? Do we “feed” on the Word of God to mine all the treasures God has planted there for us to discover and rediscover?
For me, in all honesty, I find so much wealth in God’s Word but even more so in the reflections of saints, mystics and even modern day writers. I get so much from the reflections of others and it compels me to reflect deeper in terms of my own spirituality.
I find the Magnificat subscription to be for me a priceless treasure because it has done much of the hard work by collecting and presenting compilations from others. Through their own work of unpacking and chewing on the Word of God, their insight fuels my own thoughts, writings and what I share with others. Servant of God Madeleine Delbrel writes, “…we do not know the great heights at which our holiness lies… we shouldn’t try and hold back this sort of free-fall of the Word into our depths.”
Free-fall? That evokes both sheer terror and sheer exhilaration at the same time.
That, however, is what we need to do. We need to jump, let go, and freely, unreservedly give ourselves over to God who desires to do amazing things with our lives. What are we afraid of? Why won’t we let go? These are questions we must ponder and ask ourselves. Do we believe and trust God? Do we live in the fear of what if?
God’s open palms are right there to catch us. Do we believe that?
We must submerse ourselves in the Word that will transform our fear into willingness to trust. We must pray and believe, asking God to increase in us his holy presence through our attention and participation in the sacraments. Because when we let the Word transform us, it will also transform everything we do no matter how sublime.
Will we consent to be the saint God imagined in us? Are we willing to persevere in the difficult but immensely gratifying work of the Kingdom? Glory, honor, great joy and peace beyond all telling is there waiting for our yes.
