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The Office of Readings for 4th July, the Feast of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, speaks of peace. Peace is both the fruit of the Holy Spirit and a gift of God. Without it we cannot hope to function in the grace of the Holy Spirit. This reading from a sermon attributed to St Peter Chrysologus (‘golden speech’). Born c 400AD at Imola and died there c 450AD. He was Bishop at Ravenna. He has been included among the Doctors of the Church since 1729.
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Blessed are the peacemakers. My dear brethren, the evangelist tells us: ‘Blessed
are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.’ It is peace, my dear brethren, which frees a man from slavery, and ennobles him. In God’s eyes his condition as well as his character is changed, for peace makes a son of a servant, and a free man of a slave. Peace in the community is God’s will; it is the sweetness of Christ and the perfection of sanctity. Peace is the rule of justice, the mistress of learning, the guardian of morals; its restraining influence is everywhere to be commended. It is the goal of our prayers, an easy and effective way of making atonement, the complete fulfilment of all our longings. Peace is the mother of love, the bond of friendship, the dearest proof of that innocence which craves satisfaction of God, which seeks fulfilment and has its longing satisfied. Peace must be preserved by precepts which have binding force, for the Lord Jesus Christ has said : ‘I leave you peace, my peace I give you’, that is to say: I parted from you in peace and I will find you in peace; he wanted to leave us with something which he hoped to find in every man’s heart on his return. God has commanded us to preserve his gift; there is no ambiguity in what he said: I will find what I have given. It is the very nature of God to plant a well rooted peace; it is the devil who wishes to uproot it completely. Just as brotherly love comes from God, so hatred comes from the devil. Accordingly we must condemn, hatred, for it is written : ‘He who hates his brother is a murderer.’ So you see, dear brethren, why we must love peace and cherish harmony, for they are the very conditions which produce charity and sustain it. You know that the apostle tells us: ‘Charity comes from God.’ A man is godless without charity. Let us therefore keep the commandments which make for life. The community should be closely knit in peace. Let us be motivated by mutual love and bind ourselves in bonds of saving charity, which covers a multitude of sins. We should embrace love with every desire of our hearts, for it can have as many graces as rewards. We should guard peace before all the virtues, for God is always present in peace. Love peace and all is peaceful. God’s Church was established in the simplicity of peace. If you embrace that perfect discipline in Christ, you may well rejoice, and I will have my reward.
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