How blest are the peacemakers; God shall call them his sons.
Matthew 5.9

In its full glory, peace is attained when there is such openness between us and God that we can share his presence with trust, and bring that presence with us to all whom we may meet in the course of the day's work. In this sharing we can enjoy the good things that God has given us, but which we usually guard lest they be disfigured by our fellows or even removed by their malicious action. In fact, we cannot fully enjoy anything until it can be shared with other people; when we are secure in the knowledge of God we can share without reservation, knowing that nothing belongs exclusively to anyone in perpetuity but that each may have the privilege of stewardship of a particular gift for a certain period of time before it is inevitably relinquished to those who follow on.

How can we know that peace which the world cannot give, but which Jesus promised to his disciples, so that their troubled hearts might be set at rest and their fears banished (John 14.27)? The answer is simple: be open to the divine presence at all times, even, and especially, when you are in trouble. I would not go as far as some people who actually thank God for adversity, since this has masochistic overtones, but we can remember St Paul's view that all things work together for good for those who love God (Rom. 8.28). We remember in this context that Jesus himself, who is called the peace that brought together Gentile and Jew (Eph. 2.14), nevertheless warned his disciples that he had not come to bring peace, but a sword, for with his advent there would be strife between members of individual families (Matt. 10.34-5), to say nothing of the larger world which was rocked by the uncompromising demands made by him in his teaching and in the style of living he represented. In this he was preceded by the prophets of the Old Testament, notably Jeremiah, who castigated the false prophets of peace when there was no decency and loyalty to God in the hearts of the people.

Peacemaking is evidently something more than simply juggling with present circumstances so as to placate as many people as possible. It is rather the capacity to warm people's hearts and enlighten their minds so that they can see the greater prospect of life that shines beyond the present difficulties. In the Old Testament this was prophesied to be the work of Elijah: to reconcile families before the terrible day of the Lord (Mal. 4.5-6). Jesus identified the returned Elijah with John the Baptist (Matt. 11.15).

To bring peace to others, we must first be at peace with ourselves, accepting our full complement of characteristics, the adverse no less than those which we regard as favourable. Then we can be the instrument of peace to those around us, as well as those more distant, through the medium of prayer. When we are at peace within ourselves, we quite spontaneously flow out in compassion to others, while the Holy Spirit puts words in our mouths and actions in our limbs that bring relief to all who are in trouble. Each night, as we prepare for bed, let us open ourselves to God's mercy by acknowledging our feelings of aversion and intolerance, and giving them to God as our urgent sacrifice. He will lift them from us provided we pray for those whom we heartily dislike, at the same time asking that our own hardness of heart may be healed. In the daytime let us put a seal on our lips, so that we do not blurt out our unguarded opinions about other people before we have had time to reflect. And when harsh judgements fill us with self-righteousness, let us call on God for his mercy on our own acts of thoughtlessness and words of unkindness. As we change in character, so we bring peace to others, who likewise undergo changes from darkness to light. And so we may all approach more fully to divine sonship.

May your blessing of peace, Lord, so inspire me that I move from self-centred concern to a warm regard for all creatures, knowing that peace comes only with unconditional giving of myself to all around me.