by Martin Hoegger, www.hoegger.org
“Synaxe”, an ecumenical association over 50 years old, brought together some forty members of various Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant communities in the monastery of Brâncoveanu, near Sibiu in Romania. An intense week of sharing, reflection and prayer on the Beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers”.
During this meeting, which I was delighted to attend, this beatitude was explored from a variety of angles; it unfolded and expanded. How can I be more of a peacemaker? This question will stay with me for a long time, especially in contexts where it is difficult to live out love for one’s enemies.
So many wars are tearing humanity apart. The war in Ukraine has caused great trauma in society. According to Taras Dmytryk, who, from Ukraine, took part in a video conference, it will take at least three generations to heal. Just as reconciliation took time after the Second World War, it will take a great deal of work to achieve reconciliation after the war in this country. Christians have a sacred duty to commit themselves to this. The “Synaxe” meetings, which he has often attended, inspire and encourage him. They remind him that true peace comes from above; it is a grace given by God. That’s why it’s essential to pray without ceasing, a task to which consecrated people devote themselves.
“The peace blessed by Christ is the result and fruit of the purification of the heart and union with God”, says Athenagoras, orthodox Metropolitan of Benelux and President of Synaxis.
The foundation of peace is laid by Christ, who by his incarnation and redemptive work reconciled humanity with God. Peace has three dimensions: Peace with God, with oneself and with one’s neighbor: “If a person does not taste peace in his soul and with God… he cannot offer it to others. Each of us gives to others what we have, not what we don’t have”, he adds.
Peace is not a concept or a political program, but Christ himself who heals and forgives. It must be sought everywhere, especially with those closest to us. It is part of ordinary Christian life, but often seems absent from the followers of Christ. For Athenagoras, hatred among them is one of the “gravest sins”!
Peace begins with encounter
Peace begins by meeting others and listening to them: “we need hospitality of the face and of the ear”, he says. Cardinal Mercier said: “To unite, we must love one another; to love one another, we must know one another. To get to know each other, we have to go out and meet each other”.
Peace is sustained by prayer, which must be humble: “You will never love someone for whom you do not pray. Prayer opens a channel within us to participate in God’s love for the other person”.
In a beautiful message, Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, writes: “By highlighting this theme, you remind us all that consecrated life, life in community, in its many forms, offers a unique sign in the midst of conflicting powers and, if I may say so, a resistance offered by prayer”.
She also recalls the thinking of Pope Francis, for whom “walking together” (synodality) defines who we are as Christians. “During this walk, we dialogue, we pray, we commit ourselves to a common service for all those in need”.
Peace, fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Brother Guillaume, from the Taizé Community, has been living in Bangladesh for 47 years. He lives among simple people and wants to offer us simple words. He began with a song in Bengali, the 6th most widely spoken language in the world. Then a Taizé song inspired by the letter to the Romans: “The Kingdom of God is justice and peace. And joy in the Holy Spirit” (1, 4.7).
According to the letter to the Galatians, peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit (5:22). All these fruits must be enriched. On the other hand, we have to fight against our own nature to find peace. The first Christians did this and became free people filled with the gifts of the Spirit. We don’t often hear this today, but it is essential.
According to Seraphim of Sarov, the aim of the Christian life is to be constantly indwelt by the Holy Spirit (“the acquisition of the Spirit”, as he put it). To achieve this, we must fight against our passions; peace of mind comes through many tribulations.
Personal liberation is not enough. We have to help each other and live in justice. Peace cannot exist without justice and, as we have sung, “the kingdom of God is justice and peace” (1, 4.7).
Above all, peace is built if we become reconciled people, welcoming the gifts of others. “There is unity among us to the extent that we draw closer to Christ”. These words from a monk on Mount Athos had a deep impact on Brother Guillaume.
How can we bear witness to the peace of Christ in Bangladesh, where there are only 0.5% Christians? First of all, we have to see the beauty of the country and the courage of the people who live a very difficult life. Then proclaim the Gospel, as far as possible, by our example, by being close to everyone, especially the poor and the sick.
To bring peace, we need to get close to people and build trust by working together. This is not easy, because people keep to themselves. Instead of seeing what’s wrong with other Christians, we need to appreciate how Christ is present in their Church: what gifts he has given.
Finally, peace is linked to the simplicity of life, content with little. Gandhi understood this very well; for him, greed leads to a lack of peace, while simplicity leads to openness to others. People with smartphones are eager for news, but uninterested in the people next to them on the bus. On the other hand, poor people who don’t have much are more interested in getting to know others. The same is true of churches that were convinced they had all the truth, but were not interested in other churches, nor did they need them.
For other articles on this theme, see : https://www.hoegger.org/article/blessed-are-the-peacemakers/
