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Most of us want to live in peace, not in a climate of violence and war. This kind of peace is certainly worth striving for and comes from a deep, honest desire for something good for all of us. Peace of heart is not the same as peace which is the opposite of war, and it might not seem worth consideration when compared with that of obtaining world peace. However, the two are closely related, and the cessation and prevention of violence and war depends greatly upon the degree to which we have peace in our hearts.
We often need to take firm, direct action towards bringing peace to any situation where people have different values, desires, and intentions. But when we do so, anger, especially if it is directed towards others, is not going to bring about any kind of peace. However, if we have reconciled the differences within ourselves, we can offer peaceful witness and encouragement to others for accepting that the differences exist, or for identifying a way to go about living with irreconcilable differences without resorting to violence.
Peace of heart is a valuable, helpful gift that enables us to get past any anger that might arise within as we confront injustices. Every good gift requires a giver who gives freely, not for payment, reward, or anything other than love. God is such a giver, and we can ask trustingly for peace of heart, knowing that it will be not just for our sake but also and especially for the advantages that it can be for others when manifested through us. There is nothing selfish about wanting to become the kind of person whose peaceful presence in human interactions makes possible the reconciling of differences that might otherwise lead to violence and even war.
We probably know from graced intuition that violence is not a viable means of bringing about peace of any sort, but we might be less aware of how influential we can be when our hearts are truly at peace. This truth is not mentioned in the media. There are no headlines, photos, or captions about it, because it is not an immediately visible or tangible force that catches people’s attention. But this is how God works among us, individually and quietly, person by person. Each one of us who has any degree of peace of heart is a positive influence for peace in others. God does not coerce anyone to good behavior but gracefully invites people to choose what it better. And we are carriers of such grace when we believe, think, and act from peace of heart.
Seeking for, valuing, and praying for this gift is a graced means for helping to bring about world peace.
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We can remember many things that have happened, both recent and past, and sometimes we ponder their meaning. Other memories are not easily accessible, as when we try to remember where we were on a certain date, or the names of everyone who was present at a small gathering we attended. There are other memories that are hidden from our ability to recall them, and which affect our thinking and behavior without our knowing it. When we question where a specific thought or behavior comes from, one of these hidden memories could be revealed to us.
We might recall such an experience, as when, for example, we wondered how we had acquired a habit of always doing something the same way, even though there was no reason for doing so; and then a childhood memory came up of one of our parents acting in that same way and we see the connection. Discovering influences like this is satisfying, because we believe that every aspect of our lives is somehow purposeful and meaningful.
However, some of our past life-experiences were hurtful, and even if their memories became hidden, our bodies remember them. When we are enabled to recall the connection between disruptive aspects of our lives, their possible initial sources, and the initial impetuses for them, healing almost always follows. This process of becoming aware of how past hurts have been affecting our present lives is most securely done by consciously partnering with God. Whether we eventually talk with a friend or someone in a healing profession for help, only God knows the full story of our hidden memories, loves us completely as we are, and is always available to guide us in the manner that is best for us. When we start with God, we will find our way to fuller integration of hidden memories.
While we usually enjoy discovering how we came to develop some of our habitual behavior, the process of uncovering painful memories for the sake of healing is not of itself enjoyable. That is why we, who are created as communal people, engage in this essentially spiritual journey in the company of God and other trusted persons. Even though our exploration is deeply personal, we do not come to know ourselves better on our own, but in relationships with others. Often, we do not even understand what we believe about ourselves until we hear ourselves express it to others, especially to God.
Since we are unique individuals, we are partially mysterious or at least in some ways unknowable, to others, and even to some extent to ourselves. But not to God, our creator-lover to whom our hidden memories are completely open. If we want to come to know ourselves better, including the effects of previous painful incidents upon us, we ask God to guide and inspire us.