NURTURING PEACEFULNESS (2)

NURTURING PEACEFULNESS (2)

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

(Psalm 46:10)

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in such quietness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now without having to accomplish something.

Now I invite you to consecrate this day and all that come with it….in your own way, in humble, simple, may be even inadequate words………..

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….

O God, I have come into the quietness and stillness of your presence so that out of this moment, I may take with me a quiet serenity, which will last me through the rough and smooth of my life. Many hours of my days and nights are waiting to be filled a hundred ways with a hundred prayers. But, right now, at this very moment, I am at peace. I sit with you, God. I run with you, God. I walk with you, God. Thank you, God for just being here for me. Amen.

Begin Again…

We begin again our reflections on peacefulness. Our last meditation was on peacefulness as an inner force that moves us to diffuse tension, conflict, bitterness, strife and other such slings and arrows. Peaceful people can bridge the gap, heal the wounds, sweeten the bitterness…..such people do “God-like” work and they are “God-like” persons – they are “sons of God”. Peaceful people are “peacemakers”. Peacemaking is such a profound activity that the peacemaker becomes “son of God”.

This has something in common with the Hindu and Buddhist doctrine of “ahimsa”, which means living in a way, which does not cause harm to anyone or anything. The practice of “ahimsa” requires and induces a pure and merciful heart and a frugal, simple and ‘poor’ way of life. It requires great wisdom and insight because it is not just a good intention. It requires you to know that your actions will not cause harm and that they will contribute to the highest good of all. This calls for discipline.

Peace is the most human dream of all….Peace was the dream of the Jews…….Peace was always the dream of Christians…Peace was the dream of all sages….. Peace is the dream of all religions…..humanity has a common good which belongs to all: Peace.

Jesus said, “Peace is my farewell to you. My peace is my gift to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace. Do not be distressed or fearful.” (John 14:27)

Peace is God’s gift…… Peace is our dream….Peace is our faith…Peace is our hope….Peace is our love…Peace is our passion….such peace cannot be dissipated by men and women…nor by war and violence…….it’s God’s gift, which lives in the heart of all!

Abide in these thought for a few minutes

The dream of peace lives in the heart of humanity even when they are living within the most atrocious wars….Peace stands firm as a faith, as a hope, as a love, as a passion……

A great Russian mystic, St. Seraphim of Sarov used to say: “acquire peace in you and thousands around you will find it”. We must never underestimate the force of that peace that comes from the heart!

Christian peace is a preventive peace…it is a peace that resists war and that longs and waits for the day when weapons will be silent.

Welcome the gift of peace that comes from the Gospel…the gift that Jesus promised…read and pray and live the Gospel every day…take the Gospel seriously!

Those who read and pray the Gospel must keep their hearts open to peace: to the great peace and to the little daily peace.

Dream peace and let your dream come to life! Dream peace and discover that you have a force, a power inside…a force that reconciles people, a force that resists violence, a force that tolerates differences, a force that brings harmony into chaos, a force that helps you transcend differences………a force that helps you to gradually and tenaciously build peace!

Peace is possible! Believe it! Love it! Be passionate about it!

Abide in these thought for a few minutes

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.

With God as our Father, Brothers all are we.

Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me; Let this be the moment now.

With every step I take, Let this be my solemn vow;

To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.

Let there be peace on earth. And Let it begin with me.

With God as our Father, Brothers all are we.

Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. Let this be the moment now.

With every step I take…….

Pace begins with me…from the depth of a peaceful, peace-filled, serene heart. It begin now and continues to grow and spread with every step I take……This calls us to nurture peacefulness of heart as the following g story reveals…….

There was a time (may be, even now) when most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

One of the farmers constantly advertised for hired hands. Without much success. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, seemed interested. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. “Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.

The farmer, being desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up!  A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!” The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured.  Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to sleep while the wind blew.
When you’re prepared spiritually, mentally and physically, you have nothing to fear. You can definitely be in peace. You sleep when the wind blows through your life. The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God.
We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.

Remember Jesus inviting his men to rest a while (Mark 6:30-32) after a day’s hard and busy work. Jesus and his disciples went to a deserted place to be by themselves. People came to know about it and reached the place ahead of them. Jesus had compassion on those who were hungry and tired and he fed them with five loaves and a couple of fish.

Jesus saw people in need and reached out to them. He and his disciples had gone to the place for rest. Seeing people in need, Jesus, moved with compassion, ministered to them. Jesus could do so because he was in a good place…He was in peaceful and peace-filled place. He could reach out to the needy without resentments, without compliant.

Then Jesus went up the mountain by himself to pray. In the middle of the night, seeing his disciples on troubled waters, he came to them and gave them courage and comfort and called them to trust in him (Mark 6:53-56). He could do so because he was in a good place, in a peaceful and peace-filled place. He could reach out to the needy without resentments, without compliant.

Be confident. Find peace and serenity in the Lord. The Lord will be there in troubles times. Turn to him for strength and support in testing times.

Jesus and his disciples crossed over to Gennesareth and people came from all over to touch and be touched by Jesus…..All kinds of people found the power of healing in that touch – the healing touch of Jesus. Mark tells us that all who touched Jesus got well. He could reach out and touch others because he was in a good place, in a peaceful and peace-filled place. He could reach out to the needy without resentments, without compliant.

May your touch be affirming, compassionate, encouraging, gentle, healing, kind, loving, sensitive, supportive, transforming…..Be peaceful, peace-filled and serene. Keep your heart in a good place and may that place be peaceful, peace-filled and serene. .

The following story tells us more about responding to situation from a peaceful, peace-filled and serene heart.

A wise old gentleman retired and purchased a modest home near a junior high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and contentment. Then a new school year began. The very next afternoon three young boys, full of youthful, after-school enthusiasm, came down his street, beating merrily on every trash can they encountered. The crashing percussion continued day after day, until finally the wise old man decided it was time to take some action.

The next afternoon, he walked out to meet the young percussionists as they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, “You kids are a lot of fun. I like to see you express your
exuberance like that. In fact, I use to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor? I’ll give you each a dollar if you’ll promise to come around every day and do your thing.” The kids were elated and continued to do a bang-up job on the trashcans.

After a few days, the old-timer greeted the kids again, but this time he had a sad smile on his face. “This recession’s really putting a big dent in my income,” he told them. “From now on, I’ll
only be able to pay you 50 cents to beat on the cans.” The noisemakers were obviously displeased, but they did accept his offer and continued their afternoon riot. A few days later, the wily retiree approached them again as they drummed their way down the street.

“Look,” he said, “I haven’t received my Social Security check yet, so I’m not going to be able to give you more than 25 cents. Will that be okay?” “A lousy quarter?” the drum leader exclaimed. “If you think we’re going to waste our time, beating these cans around for a quarter, you’re nuts! No way, mister. We quit!”

And the old man enjoyed peace and serenity for the rest of his days.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: they will be called sons of God”
(Mt. 5:9)

Blessed are the peacemakers: they will bring forgiveness and healing.

Blessed are the peacemakers: they will bring wholeness and integrity

Blessed are the peacemakers: they will bring harmony, unity, and purity.

Blessed are the peacemakers: they will bring their best to the world.

Blessed are the peacemakers: they will bring the best out of others.

Blessed are the peacemakers: their presence brings joy.

Blessed are the peacemakers: they bring no harm to others.

The heart of peacemakers is like the heart of God – LOVE, pure and simple.

If you find yourself in a situation where there are no peaceful persons, strive to be a peaceful person and if you find yourself in a situation where there are no peacemakers, strive to be a peacemaker.

Abide in these thought for a few minutes

God grant me,

        The serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

        Courage to change the things I can,

        And the Wisdom to know the difference.

        Living one day at a time;

        Enjoying one moment at a time;

        Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

        Taking as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

        Trusting that He will make all things right,

        If I surrender to His will;

        That I may be reasonably happy in this life,

        And supremely happy in the next. (Reinhold Niebuhr)

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs