Peace be with you: Blessed are the Peacemakers




Gospel Reading
Mathew 5/9 - 10
Reflections
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Peace and justice are two different terminologies and entities yet they are associated with one another and people commonly use them in their day today conversations. In the free world, every one strives and expects to make their rights known and served perfectly. When there is a perception of lack in attention to their service, they demand to fulfill their rights. Where as when the rights of the neighbors comes to the picture the story may be different. Individual freedom and individual rights have seen its extremes in the days we live, which is contrary to the natural truth, where as human life is a communal life. We all are depending on each other to function as a family, organization, community, and world. Let us take a simple example of our daily life. We depend on automobiles and road traffic to reach to our destinations. How many times we have realized that the arrival time to the destination is depending upon the traffic and particularly depending upon the fellow drivers on the road. We all are the part of the one big tapestry of human life where individual life is a thread.

Interdependency in human life is a divine blessing. This concept can be visualized by looking at a human baby’s growth and development. When all other babies in creation have only a short period of dependency, the human baby takes longer time to develop and become self-reliant, which is natural sign that human life is interdependent. Individual peace and happiness have power to empower others and the individual fall and struggles can pull down the family and society. The life is interdependent and in the life, individual justice and rights may look like an illusion yet it is significant in relation with the total wellbeing of a family or society. Individual happiness, joy, and peace are so vital for peace and joy of a community as individuals make the family and the community. However, some times, we highlight the individual freedom, justice way out of proportions that it always violates the rights and peace of others.
Love is a deliberate choice comes from one’s heart. Showing love in the face of the hatred requires individual decision, discernment, and divine grace. Blessed are the peacemakers in Jesus standards, because they are equipped with divine love, which understands others and places others above themselves. This is a quality of the divine peacemakers; St. Francis of Assisi has reflected this virtue of peace making love in his life as he prayed, “O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.” Peacemakers bring blessings to the world. They become instruments and channels of peace to the world.

Annapoorna Mary, 2011
Prepared and presented in the Franciscan Retreat, November, 5th, 2011
Our Lady of Queen of Peace Retreat Center, Memphis Dioceses.

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