The Two Sides of Peace

This is written for the Sixth Sunday of Easter by Monsignor Zacharias Kunnakkattuthara, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palestine, Texas. Republished with permission.


Dear Friends,

In what has become a famous phrase, the prophet Jeremiah condemns leaders who promise, "'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace" (6:14). Why is peace so hard to find and, when found, so hard to keep? Isn't it true that our concerns about peace can be divided into an inside dimension and an outside dimension?

There is what we call inner peace. We speak of peace "in the heart." We all want peace within. God wants it for us, too. However, there are things that are clearly more important to God than mere peace of mind. We have almost forgotten this. There is also the outside dimension of peace. This is peace between people, peace within families, peace between races, peace among nations. God wants this kind of peace for us, too. However, we never find God promoting peace at any price. Jesus spoke of how doing the will of God would create conflict for his followers, Having said this, we must remember that the biblical revelation points to an ultimate vision of the peace of God that will triumph.

The peace of God within us and the peace of God among us represent the inside and outside of peace. What may be difficult to see, however, is how inseparably these two dimensions are related. In John 14, Jesus prepares the disciples for his departure. After assuring them of the Holy Spirit he speaks to them of peace: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives."

What Jesus says is that we cannot make peace in the world without having something of Christ's peace in our hearts. Conversely, we cannot have his peace in our hearts without making his peace in the world. The inside and outside of peace are connected. Making Christ's peace with the neighbor may be the only way of genuinely having Christ's peace within.

Is it any wonder, then, while we spend billions of dollars building the weapons of warfare, that there is so little peace of mind in our world? Is it any wonder that there is so little peace of mind among us when, in the name of love, we use other people for our own gratification? -- when, in our play winning is everything? -- when we live to be happy? -- when we can't keep commitments, can't deal in truth, can't live by faith, can't love? Is it any wonder that, after all these centuries, it is still neighbor against neighbor, nation against nation, religion against religion?

So long as there is conflict within our souls, there will be conflict in our external worlds. Jesus fully embodies the two sides of peace -- the inside and the outside. He has come to offer us his life, his spirit, his peace. But who has tried his way? He has been seldom followed. When Jesus is followed, people both make peace and find peace.

Your friend in Jesus,
Msgr. Zach