Making Peace

Ho! Ho! Ho! Just when all of our seasonal organizing seems to be in order, concerns and roadblocks appear en masse. Will Uncle Henry like the socks and matching sweater? Is anyone else getting tired of our annual ham and green bean casserole? Did the airlines really just cancel that flight? It's hard to find peace with all of the goings-on. Divisive politics sure don't make it any easier. But now is exactly the right time to seek it and to make it. There are more people who will lead us in that direction than those that tend to lead us away. Police Chaplains who come through the fog of tragedy to listen and hold the hands of those stricken with grief are a perfect example. And there are others.

My hometown in Illinois was richly blessed by the life of Rev Charles Bourke Motsett who could truly be called Danville's pastor. He was one of those people who made peace. A Roman Catholic priest, there was nobody of any denomination or religious persuasion who felt left out of his ministry. Hardly a civic function, school sporting event, or service club meeting took place without him being there. We lived across the street and Father Motsett was ever-present. I can easily envision him with a stopwatch at Schlarman High School athletic events shouting encouragement to runners. He occasionally came over to our house at Happy Hour to have a drink and lively conversation with my Dad. They were both avid sports fans and Dad had been a University of Illinois track star which delighted Motsett who was student manager of Notre Dame’s football squad under Knute Rockne. He provided sometimes strict but always loving guidance to me both before I became a Catholic and after. His greeting of; "May peace be with each and every one of you good people" still brings a smile to my face. Once when I was struggling with some significant inner darkness, he shared the deathbed letter of Chicago’s Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. It was a prayer that brought me peace and helped me find my way.

What I would like to leave behind is a simple prayer that each of you may find what I have found—God’s special gift to us all: the gift of peace. When we are at peace, we find the freedom to be most fully who we are, even in the worst of times. We let go of what is nonessential and embrace what is essential. We empty ourselves so that God may more fully work within us. And we become instruments in the hands of the Lord ~ Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

Monsignor Charles Motsett died at age 98. He never demonstrated against wars fought by armies but waged an ongoing battle with forces that destroy inner harmony. For he knew full well that external strife is fueled by internal chaos. Resentment, fear, anger, greed, envy, and sadness are the culprits. When we discover where peace dwells in our own hearts and dispel the violence within, we will be able to become makers of peace in our relationships and in every step we take. Helpers, teachers, and guides are available. What better time than Christmas and the seasons of light for such a transformation. Lord make me an instrument of your peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2svZhZT6Pro

How Blest are the Peacemakers

“In spite of everything I still believe people are good at heart.” ~ Anne Frank

This powerful statement of a teenage Jewish girl has inspired people to compassionate action and peacemaking since it first appeared in print over 70 years ago.  One of the most widely read books in the world, Anne Frank; The Diary of a Young Girl remains “one of the wisest and most moving commentaries” on World War II.

It seems counterintuitive to talk about war when thinking about peace and compassion. But it is impossible to understand the hunger for peace without experiencing the devastation of war.  Likewise, it is difficult to believe how really good at heart people are without experiencing a healing, loving touch when everyone else seems to have turned their backs.

I have been privileged to know or have been associated with leading peacemakers over the years. Jim Wallis, Clare Hanrahan, Steve Magin, Richard Rohr, and others have taught me that life should always be lived with the same eternal optimism as witnessed to by Anne Frank.  Even in the most difficult of situations, God is with us equally.  This family of creation is all related through a common DNA. We all come from One Source.  If we persist in our peacemaking efforts and listen to each other with loving ears and open hearts, it is inevitable that good will transform evil.  A 15-year-old girl, doomed by her circumstances, bears this out as she tells us;

"It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again."  

Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.

In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.

His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.

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Bob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast