PEACE WITHIN

This prayer of Saint Terese of Liseaux was sent to me by and old friend. "Today may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content and give thanks in all situations. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us." In the next few weeks I would like to reflect on the prayer.

Peace within and peace without. We would, if we could, like to be able to control what goes on around us, to make our world and thus our lives peaceful. But we cannot and we know we cannot. We read the newspapers, we watch the news, we listen to NPR and we hear over and over again about the conflicts, large and small, taking place all over the world and all around us, even in our own backyards and, sadly among or own family and friends. Peace without is out of our hands.

That does not mean that we throw up our hands in resignation that we can do nothing and simply have to accept the truth that we are living in a very unpeaceful world. Jesus’ desire that peace be with us always still commands our attention and our response, which means doing all we can to be at peace one with another. We have to do our part, do what we can do, which is all God asks of us. If we do our part in trying our best to live in peace with others, we have to leave the rest in God’s hands.

While we are not in control of what goes on about us, we are in control with what goes on within us. Peace within, peace from within is in our hands. Peace within, I think, begins with the realization and the acceptance of the truth that we can only control what we can control, and that is ourselves. Easier said than done, as we all know from firsthand experience, or should I say, firsthand failure?

As Christians we are moved to worry about so much that is simply out of our control and we allow that worry to consume us in such a manner that we cannot find peace of mind no matter how hard we try. We toss and turn at night and wring our hands in frustration during the day. This is not to say that we should not be so concerned. It is to say that when we are so consumed with worry over that which we cannot control, we will never be at peace within. Never.

That does not mean that we take a happy-go-lucky approach to everything acting as if we have not a worry in the world. What it does mean is that when we find ourselves not being able to find that peace from within, we need to begin to reflect on the rest of St. Therese’s prayer. Even more importantly, we need to take those worries and concerns to the one who always hears our prayers and who, when all said and done, is the only one who can help us find that peace within: our God.