Pilate asked of Jesus, “What is Truth?” I have asked of Jesus many times, “What is Peace?” Specifically, what is the Peace of God, the peace beyond understanding? The possession of such a peace is an indication of being securely in the will of God. It is a sign of holiness. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is what we wish for each other with the Sign of Peace at every mass. What IS it?
The Peace of God and the Peace of the World
Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles. The readings for today (Acts 12:1-11; from Psalm 34; 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16: 13-19) speak of their tribulations as apostles and of their peace.
Their troubles show clearly that the Peace of God is not the peace of the world. The peace of the world is the absence of conflict. Nobody is fighting at the moment or threatening to fight. The presence of peace in the world can come from a peace of God, but it can also come from victors being temporarily satisfied with the spoils of conquering or from a temporary plotting truce—whether that peace is in terms of nations, factions, or members of a family. It is not a peace based on self-giving love. It is not a peace based on goodness. It is simply a practical peace.
The Peace of God is present even in the middle of conflict and trouble. The Peace of God does not stop such troubles. It does not stop or resolve any conflict except the conflict of a humble heart. That makes it a different kind of peace. Yet what IS it?
This is where Peter and Paul can be very helpful. We know Peter and Paul. We know Peter impetuously puts his foot in his mouth again and again. Today’s Gospel, where Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” is followed just a few verses later by Peter being rebuked by Jesus for tempting him to take the easy way out.
Paul’s Peace of God
Paul was so assertive in his proclamation of the risen Christ and the loving God that he regularly got himself thrown out of towns and synagogues. Beaten, stoned, and left for dead, he was not a man to mince words. He spent several years in prison because of his big mouth.
Paul was in prison, probably in Rome, when he wrote to Timothy in today’s second reading. “I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.”
Paul recognized that he had been rescued from death in the past because he had not yet finished his work. “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
But look at the next two sentences: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever.”
Paul is awaiting trial and likely death. He is aware God has preserved his life in the past because God had work for him to do. Yet he has the Peace of God. There is no complaint, fear, entitlement, anger, or disappointment in his heart. He is content with what he has—a prison cell, memories of years as an evangelist, pen and ink to write, and coming trial. His heart is at rest.
Why? How? Paul realizes that God will rescue him from “every evil threat,” though he will not save him from experiencing the effects of evil. His eye is beyond the moment and on the goal: union with God and immortal life. It is his relationship with Christ which is important. It is the security of that relationship which gives him peace. He says, “From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.”
Peter’s Peace of God
The first reading from Acts catches Peter earlier in his apostolic career. He, too, is imprisoned. James, the brother of John, has been killed. It is Passover. In this scene, Peter is to come to trial the next day. Peter would have remembered that Jesus had predicted his crucifixion. He must have wondered if it would be the next day. Yet he is asleep.
This time God rescues Peter. He sends an angel to break the chains and lead Peter out into the street. The church is fervently praying for him. Our scripture today ends with these words: “Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescured me from the hand of Herod and form all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”
I LOVE the next verse, which is not part of today’s readings: “AS SOON AS he realized this he went to the house…where many had gathered and were praying.” (Acts 12:12)
If Peter had been interested in preserving his safety, he would have left Jerusalem. But safety is not his primary concern. His primary concern is to share the good news that GOD WAS WITH HIM in prison, that GOD LED HIM. His primary focus is again on relationship.
Peace of God in Our Time
In his book Heaven Starts Now, Fr. John Riccardo tells of the 20th century equivalent of Sts. Peter and Paul, Fr. Maximilian Kolbe. Fr. Kolbe was imprisoned in Auschwitz and volunteered to take the place of another man to be killed. In a starvation bunker, Kolbe led the other prisoners in singing songs and praising God. His focus was on his relationship with God–and with others.
All this makes my troubles seem very small, even though they often deprive me of the Peace of God. What is the difference?
I love how Fr. Riccardo finishes his chapter on overcoming fear and anxiety, “The martyrs remind us that if we would just have faith the size of a mustard seed, then no matter what it is that is taking place in our lives, we will be at peace. Why? Because we belong to God. And because our lives are in his hands. And because he is never afraid, and he can handle any situation that we could ever face.” (p 49)
Peace of God = Trusting Relationship
The Peace of God comes from trusting God, from our relationship with him.
The Peace of God is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It comes from the Holy Spirit finding a home in our souls. Not a guest room, for celebrations, but a home, for daily life. The Peace of God comes when we know to whom we belong, when we believe that always in every circumstance good eventually overcomes evil if we put our total trust in God.
Good overcoming evil does not mean that God prevents evil from touching us. How could God’s goodness, through us, overcome evil if evil did not touch us? There are times in all of our lives when we, too, are “poured out like a libation.”
For some, like Saints Peter, Paul, Maximilian Kolbe, and persecuted Christians around the world today, those times can include martyrdom. For most of us, they mean resisting the temptations to leave a marriage, practice eye for an eye strategies at work, or avoid difficult tasks of love.
We all can believe that if we love and serve God, he will give us a peace that is the world’s peace—the absence of conflict. Scripture, including today’s readings, shows us that is not what God promises. That is not how Christianity works.
Jesus chose to die on the cross to prove that God overcomes evil by facing it without giving in to it. Peter and Paul, Apostles, followed in his footsteps.
So must we, if we are to have the Peace of God.
Prayer:
Today’s psalm says it all:
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
The lowly will hear me and be glad.
Glorify the Lord with me,
Let us together extol his name.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
And delivered me from all my fears.
