Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Time and again, Jesus challenged the use of violence to resolve issues. The call to be a peacemaker clearly involves embracing nonviolence but goes beyond that. To be a peacemaker does not mean to be passive. It does mean seeking solutions, finding a path that all can agree on. A peacemaker objects to any war as a solution and the use of violence to advance a political agenda.
This beatitude also calls us to foster inner peace. If I aspire to inner peace, I address resentments. I strive not to judge. I strive to quiet that inner chatter that can often be either fearful or aggressive. As a peacemaker, I embrace as my daily guide the psalm that states: “Be still and know that I am God.”
—from St. Anthony Messenger‘s “Turn to the Beatitudes“
by Richard Patterson, Phd
