Peace be with you: Peace in an individual ripples through out the world




Peace in an individual ripples through out the world

Peace in a single human being has the power to bring the heavenly peace to the whole world as it ripples as the waves in the world. Peace within oneself involves living in harmony with one’s own self. Acknowledging oneself as they are with all the strengths and weaknesses is the first step to achieve peace. Accepting the individual life as a gift and being thankful for all that surrounds them in this life is a way of living peace in an individual life.

Being peaceful with oneself is the beginning of the peace in the world, because a single human peace can radiate and permeate into the world. The most challenging experience in everyone’s life is being peaceful with one’s own self. We find ourselves in self critiquing constantly, which is an essential step to improve, however, many times we are unable to forgive ourselves for our short comings, as result we loose the peace and the restfulness may not prevail in the soul. Some time we go to the extreme in assigning too much importance to ourselves into the cause and effect of this life, when we brood over our weaknesses, which could lead to the pride, which is the opposite status of the peace. Other times we may derail to the roads of perfectionism and become scruples which does not acknowledge God’s mercy and grace but the self and ego, which has no place for peace.

Whereas accepting the human nature and fallibility of oneself will bring forth the surrender of the soul to God’s strength, which can show peace in oneself. A soul, which relies upon God’s strength and merciful grace, will understand its own weaknesses and acknowledge God’s strength to uplift from the fall with constant trust and prayers. In this status, the soul will cling on to God’s presence in fall and rise. In the times of fall, it will call upon the Lord and in the times of rising, it will praise the Lord. In return, the soul will proclaim God’s peace and presence in its fall and in its rise, when it lives in the presence of God.

Being peaceful within oneself requires an individual choice and decision. Choosing to be peaceful is an attitude and deliberate choice in this life, which will pave foundation for peaceful life. There are many cross roads in this earthly life and one can choose to walk in any one of them. The most beauty about our choices in this life is that it is left to our total freedom, even God himself respect our freedom and choices and for the majority of the times He maintains as a spectator until we call upon him. Some times, He intervenes into our ways to protect us even without our call. In both ways, He maintains his presence near us. Knowing and acknowledging divine presence in one’s life is an individual choice. In this individual choice of life resides the divine interventions to illuminate an individual life.
There are millions of ways to live this life. No way of life is beyond God’s redemptive reach of peace. However, discerning the path of life is an important step to find peace in the life. Among the worldly life paths, some paths are laden with constant restlessness emerge from competitions, agitations, luxuries, achievements, lustrous, and attractive lime light way of life. The most part of this path, contain slippery trails in the world. However, this life is not beyond God’s presence, peace, and guidance, if an individual who chose that lifestyle could radiate God’s peace in those strata, if the soul contains heavenly peace, which relies in the choices of the soul. There are other paths of life, which are just the opposite direction of the above-mentioned status, which contain the renouncement to the worldly ways of life. Even in this status of life, one could find themselves with no peace unless they base the life upon God’s presence. Therefore, in both ways of life, such as the life in alignment with the world and the life in non- alignment with world, the peace comes from God’s presence only.
Living in peace within oneself requires presence of God in human soul. The soul, which contains the image of God, radiates and reflects peace into the world. The individual peace ripples beyond one’s life and it resonates as a witness to the world. A motivated soul will save many souls from the life depressions. An uplifted soul can deliver many strive laden souls by its associations. A cheerful soul can light smile and peace on its work places and everywhere. A joyful soul can bring peace to its environment. A peaceful soul can stifle the fire of struggles and wars in its environment. A hopeful soul can bring hope to others during their failings and shortcomings and shine peace through the ways of forgiveness. Likewise, a single soul’s peace can change 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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