I often hear peace described as a gift that is received through the practice of faith. In concrete terms, what does ‘peace’ mean?
There are three kinds of peace. We can take our general definition from St. Augustine, who said, “Peace is the tranquility of order.”
The most natural kind of peace comes from living a well-ordered life. When you live a life of virtue and moderation, you experience natural peace. This peace comes from things as simple as keeping your room clean, going to bed on time, eating moderately and well and exercising. These natural habits give a sense of well-being and natural peace.
There is a deeper kind of peace that touches on the spiritual when we consider that all lack of peace comes from sin, a rupture of our relationship with the Lord. We lack peace when convicted by our conscience that we have offended the Lord or others and know ourselves to be in a state of sin. Our peace may be restored through a good confession and receiving the grace of spiritual renewal by the mercy of God.
Yet this kind of peace at times can have a mixture of self-interested concern alongside the holy desires of love. It feels uncomfortable to sit in the knowledge of unrepented sin, so the desire for a restored positive self-image sometimes serves as a greater motivation to go to confession rather than love of God. If this is the case for you, do not be ashamed, but pray: “Jesus, give me the grace to be sorry for my sins out of love for you.”
The third kind of peace can only come through what the Bible calls “chastisement,” suffering or humiliation. When God, in His mercy, takes from us things that we think we need — health, our good name, a reasonable source of income or healthy relationships — we must rely on Him more completely. We may not have the satisfaction of a well-ordered exterior life, or perhaps even a positive self-image, but instead begin to rely profoundly upon the Lord’s goodness rather than our own. This is a hard, yet most beautiful, gift to receive. This is the kind of peace that Jesus felt on the cross.
I pray that no matter your circumstances, you may grow in peace this Lenten season.
Father Charlie Archer is associate pastor of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.
