Blessed are the Peacemakers
It seems that we often get caught up in the best way to go about correcting misinformed beliefs among our fellow sisters and brothers in Christ. On one hand, we need to take seriously our commitment to the Truth of the Gospel and the authority of Sacred Scripture as God’s Word revealed to us. Our love for our neighbor, particularly our love for our sisters and brothers in Christ, compels us to work with them and be servants for them to bring them to a further understanding of the Gospel. Their love compels them to do the same for us. We keep each other accountable not to each other, but to the Gospel. We also know that on several occasions Christ Himself was very forceful in His rebukes, and often saved His strongest rebukes for the ones He loved the most. So when we perceive a distortion of the Gospel, an egregious misrepresentation of God’s revelation, how are we to proceed? It appears that Scripture gives us plenty of guidance here, and so I’d like to take some time to examine the Scriptural guidelines upon which we all might contemplate. Those of us who take the authority of Scripture as something very real and serious, this seems to place a greater yoke on us in directing our own interactions.
The first passage we should examine comes from the first epistle of the Apostle Peter. St. Peter writes, So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed. Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory. Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:1-5). There are several important points to notice here. Number one, Peter exhorts the presbyters in a special way to tend to the flock in their charge. Our ministers, elders, priests, bishops, whatever the named office of our leader, is charged in a special way with our spiritual welfare. Those who are placed under their charge are called to be subjected to them. But what’s more, all of us, regardless of office, are called to clothe ourselves in humility. While we often like to point to Christ as our reference for how to handle those gone astray, more often than not we use this as a justification of our own harshness without first contemplating Christ’s humility, which always came first. Christ was first and foremost perfectly humble, and so his actions were always informed by humility. Before we can even begin to attempt to correct another, we must first make sure that we are clothed in humility, for this humility is what opens us up to God’s grace, and this grace is necessary to effectively minister to the sick, whether it is physical sickness or spiritual.
This passage continues by showing us the great danger in which we place ourselves when we are not so clothed in humility. St. Peter continues, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith (1 Pet 5:6-9). We know throughout Scripture, beginning with the Fall of Man, that it is through Pride that Satan attacks us most vociferously, and it is through Pride that his greatest victories are won. Against humility, however, he is utterly powerless. Those of us who are seeking to advance in our union with Christ will be met with the greatest opposition by the Enemy, and he is prowling about just awaiting that perfect opportunity to attack. That opportunity is pride. In our dealings with one another it is very easy to cloak our pride in the guise of the proclamation of the Gospel, and so it can be that while the words we speak are true, the way in which we speak them opens us up to a direct assault from the Enemy. We must resist him, firm in our faith, clothed in perfect humility. To this end, I believe it of utmost importance that before we respond to any of our brethren we first turn to God in prayer, and most especially we pray for the grace of true humility.
We know, however, that quite often we are on the receiving end of someone who has not acted in humility, and attacks us personally. Or perhaps we see someone else being attacked, and we feel the urge to respond. This, unfortunately, so often leads to even greater gains by the Enemy. Either our own pride is bruised and we respond accordingly, or we are puffed with pride and find ourselves taking on the role of the great defender, and we return one person’s attack with an attack of our own. Again, let us turn to Scripture and see what guidance we might find. Here we find our strongest exhortations in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. For those of us who are affronted, Christ says to us, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:5). And again, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you when men revile you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets before you (Matt 5:10-12). When we find ourselves attacked, persecuted, reviled for the sake of Christ, in Christ we are truly blessed, and so Christ calls us not to scorn our persecutor, but rather to be merciful, and to rejoice! It is helpful then to ask ourselves, when we are attacked, does our response to that attack reflect the joy we should experience? A good practice would be when responding to an attack, first to read our comment before posting, and ask ourselves if it does reflect that joy. If it does not, we should perhaps make no reply, and simply ask God to fill us with the joy which should be ours.
Regarding both those who are attacked, and those who feel the need to come to the aid of one attacked, the previous beatitude speaks directly to us. Our Blessed Lord tells us, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God (Matt 5:9). Indeed, how much more blessed can we be than to be true children of God?! So let our response then reflect that desire, the desire to be the true children of God. If we allow our actions to be informed by such desire then we will undoubtedly pursue the path of peace, a peace which is certainly rooted in the very Truth of the Gospel, but which requires a certain attitude in how we go about proclaiming this Good News. So what must our attitude be if we are to properly maintain that balance between steadfastness in the Gospel and being true peacemakers? Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5). This of course foreshadows Christ’s later exhortation, No one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:27-30). It is true we are called to proclaim the Gospel to all the ends of the earth, but this is an easy burden for those who truly submit themselves to the yoke of Christ. It is important for us to remember that the conversion of the hearts of others is not even within our power. God Himself will choose to whom He will reveal the Christ. Our job is to proclaim what has been given to us. Our meekness and gentleness is then of great benefit in preparing the hearts of those who will receive what we proclaim through the Spirit. When our manner is acerbic and caustic, quite often we are the cause of the hardening of one’s heart, and woe to us on that day! So it is helpful to remember that the great burden is not on us, but rather the cause of conversion is the Holy Spirit, and we are merely the messengers of the Truth. So let us proclaim it with humble hearts, and pray that our humility, our meekness will soften the hearts of those who refuse yet to believe what has been proclaimed.
Christ has still much more to say to those of us who believe ourselves to be attacked for whatever reason. It is outside the scope of this post to go into every further instance, but one more very well known one must be addressed. Christ commands us, But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your cloak do not withhold your coat as well…But love your enemies, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful (Lk 6:27-29, 35-36). The truths contained in the Gospel are radical indeed. The Most High God is Himself kind to the ungrateful and the selfish, and we are called to be the same. Our heavenly Father is merciful, and so must we be. And when we are, we are truly sons and daughters of the Most High. We are then truly blessed, and we are inheritors of the earth, heirs to the kingdom of heaven, and we will truly see God.
So let us remain steadfast in our proclamation of the Gospel, and not shy away from its truth. But let us always do so prayerfully, and seek first to clothe ourselves in perfect humility, just as Christ was perfectly humble, so that we do not ourselves get in the way of the Gospel which we proclaim. When we find ourselves attacked, let us forgive, and pray for our attacker, and bless them, and let our response to them reflect the true joy that should be ours because of it.
Grace and Peace in Christ,
Michael
The first passage we should examine comes from the first epistle of the Apostle Peter. St. Peter writes, So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed. Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory. Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:1-5). There are several important points to notice here. Number one, Peter exhorts the presbyters in a special way to tend to the flock in their charge. Our ministers, elders, priests, bishops, whatever the named office of our leader, is charged in a special way with our spiritual welfare. Those who are placed under their charge are called to be subjected to them. But what’s more, all of us, regardless of office, are called to clothe ourselves in humility. While we often like to point to Christ as our reference for how to handle those gone astray, more often than not we use this as a justification of our own harshness without first contemplating Christ’s humility, which always came first. Christ was first and foremost perfectly humble, and so his actions were always informed by humility. Before we can even begin to attempt to correct another, we must first make sure that we are clothed in humility, for this humility is what opens us up to God’s grace, and this grace is necessary to effectively minister to the sick, whether it is physical sickness or spiritual.
This passage continues by showing us the great danger in which we place ourselves when we are not so clothed in humility. St. Peter continues, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith (1 Pet 5:6-9). We know throughout Scripture, beginning with the Fall of Man, that it is through Pride that Satan attacks us most vociferously, and it is through Pride that his greatest victories are won. Against humility, however, he is utterly powerless. Those of us who are seeking to advance in our union with Christ will be met with the greatest opposition by the Enemy, and he is prowling about just awaiting that perfect opportunity to attack. That opportunity is pride. In our dealings with one another it is very easy to cloak our pride in the guise of the proclamation of the Gospel, and so it can be that while the words we speak are true, the way in which we speak them opens us up to a direct assault from the Enemy. We must resist him, firm in our faith, clothed in perfect humility. To this end, I believe it of utmost importance that before we respond to any of our brethren we first turn to God in prayer, and most especially we pray for the grace of true humility.
We know, however, that quite often we are on the receiving end of someone who has not acted in humility, and attacks us personally. Or perhaps we see someone else being attacked, and we feel the urge to respond. This, unfortunately, so often leads to even greater gains by the Enemy. Either our own pride is bruised and we respond accordingly, or we are puffed with pride and find ourselves taking on the role of the great defender, and we return one person’s attack with an attack of our own. Again, let us turn to Scripture and see what guidance we might find. Here we find our strongest exhortations in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. For those of us who are affronted, Christ says to us, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:5). And again, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you when men revile you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets before you (Matt 5:10-12). When we find ourselves attacked, persecuted, reviled for the sake of Christ, in Christ we are truly blessed, and so Christ calls us not to scorn our persecutor, but rather to be merciful, and to rejoice! It is helpful then to ask ourselves, when we are attacked, does our response to that attack reflect the joy we should experience? A good practice would be when responding to an attack, first to read our comment before posting, and ask ourselves if it does reflect that joy. If it does not, we should perhaps make no reply, and simply ask God to fill us with the joy which should be ours.
Regarding both those who are attacked, and those who feel the need to come to the aid of one attacked, the previous beatitude speaks directly to us. Our Blessed Lord tells us, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God (Matt 5:9). Indeed, how much more blessed can we be than to be true children of God?! So let our response then reflect that desire, the desire to be the true children of God. If we allow our actions to be informed by such desire then we will undoubtedly pursue the path of peace, a peace which is certainly rooted in the very Truth of the Gospel, but which requires a certain attitude in how we go about proclaiming this Good News. So what must our attitude be if we are to properly maintain that balance between steadfastness in the Gospel and being true peacemakers? Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5). This of course foreshadows Christ’s later exhortation, No one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt 11:27-30). It is true we are called to proclaim the Gospel to all the ends of the earth, but this is an easy burden for those who truly submit themselves to the yoke of Christ. It is important for us to remember that the conversion of the hearts of others is not even within our power. God Himself will choose to whom He will reveal the Christ. Our job is to proclaim what has been given to us. Our meekness and gentleness is then of great benefit in preparing the hearts of those who will receive what we proclaim through the Spirit. When our manner is acerbic and caustic, quite often we are the cause of the hardening of one’s heart, and woe to us on that day! So it is helpful to remember that the great burden is not on us, but rather the cause of conversion is the Holy Spirit, and we are merely the messengers of the Truth. So let us proclaim it with humble hearts, and pray that our humility, our meekness will soften the hearts of those who refuse yet to believe what has been proclaimed.
Christ has still much more to say to those of us who believe ourselves to be attacked for whatever reason. It is outside the scope of this post to go into every further instance, but one more very well known one must be addressed. Christ commands us, But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your cloak do not withhold your coat as well…But love your enemies, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful (Lk 6:27-29, 35-36). The truths contained in the Gospel are radical indeed. The Most High God is Himself kind to the ungrateful and the selfish, and we are called to be the same. Our heavenly Father is merciful, and so must we be. And when we are, we are truly sons and daughters of the Most High. We are then truly blessed, and we are inheritors of the earth, heirs to the kingdom of heaven, and we will truly see God.
So let us remain steadfast in our proclamation of the Gospel, and not shy away from its truth. But let us always do so prayerfully, and seek first to clothe ourselves in perfect humility, just as Christ was perfectly humble, so that we do not ourselves get in the way of the Gospel which we proclaim. When we find ourselves attacked, let us forgive, and pray for our attacker, and bless them, and let our response to them reflect the true joy that should be ours because of it.
Grace and Peace in Christ,
Michael