Blessed are the peacemakers!

Today we had Fr. Scott Courtney in the studio. His characteristic joy spread all over the studios of Daybreak, and now we are ready to go out and be peacemakers! He pointed us to Matthew 5:3-12, the Beatitudes, that blueprint for living the Christian life.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be children of God."

What does this mean? Father Courtney says it means a whole lot more than just thinking peaceable thoughts. It means turning the other cheek, giving of yourself, and loving the person is your life who is just so hard to love. Ah, how difficult this is! How could I ever become a peacemaker?

Luckily for me, whenever I send these questions to the heavens, the Lord answers quickly and decidedly by putting me in situations where I can, in fact, practice being a peacemaker. (Geez, Lord, couldn't we have talked about this for a little while before you go and make me do it? No, he responds, Christians are people of action, people of heart!) Seriously, I walked out of the studio and BAM!, I was confronted with the the minor murmurings of the world. My spirit fell. "But Lord," I said, "I just felt really good about being peaceful a few minutes ago! Why do my circumstances insist on trying to thwart that?"

I went back to the Diary of Divine Mercy from St. Faustina, paragraph 1760:

Jesus said: "My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare. Never trust in yourself, but abandon yourself totally to my will. In desolation, darkness, and doubts, have recourse to ME and your spiritual director....Do not bargain with any temptation, lock yourself immediately in my heart...Put your self-love in LAST place...and bear yourself with great patience. Do not neglect interior mortifications. Shun murmerers like the plague... If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer.

"Jesus, you are right! There are plagues and troubles in every day, but with your strength and comfort, I can defeat evil the evil that inevitably weasels it's way into my mind today." I think of St. Therese of Lisieux, who once broke a sweat trying not to be irritated at one of her fellow sisters. Temptation plagues us all, my friends. But Father Courtney left us with one awesome challenge: Being a peacemaker does not mean you roll over and take a beating. It means you rise, and with courage and the confidence that Jesus Christ himself will guide your heart, you confront the temptation, praying for the mercy that you will defeat it.