Searching for and Maintaining Peace

1. Interior Peace: The Core of Christian Life

“Acquire interior peace and a multitude will find its salvation through you,” said Saint Seraphim of Sarov.

A restless age. Our modern world is characterized by agitation and anxiety, a tendency that often infiltrates even our spiritual lives. Many Christians seek God, holiness, and service with disquietude rather than the confidence and peace of a child, as the Gospels instruct. However, true spiritual progress and efficacy are found in maintaining profound peace of heart in all circumstances.

God's reflection. Just as a tranquil lake perfectly reflects the sun, a peaceful soul reflects God's image and allows His grace to act freely within. God, being a God of peace, operates not in turmoil but in quietude, like the gentle breeze Elijah experienced. This inner calm is not indifference but a necessary condition for genuine love and compassion, liberating us to truly serve others.

Apostolic fruitfulness. Far from being egotistical, the pursuit of interior peace is a priority for anyone wishing to do good for their neighbor. Only those who possess this peace can effectively communicate it, fostering peace in families, societies, and between individuals. Without it, we risk transmitting our own restlessness and distress, hindering true apostolic fruitfulness.

2. God's Action Requires Our Peace, Not Our Effort

Often, we cause ourselves to become agitated and disturbed by trying to resolve everything by ourselves, when it would be more efficacious to remain peacefully before the gaze of God and to allow Him to act and work in us with His wisdom and power, which are infinitely superior to ours.

Our powerlessness. The foundational truth of Christian life is that all good comes from God alone; "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." This isn't a minor point but an essential conviction, often learned through failures and humiliations, that we are utterly powerless to do good by ourselves. This profound self-knowledge is the necessary prelude to God's great works within us.

Letting God act. The central question of our spiritual life becomes: How can I allow Jesus to act in me and God's grace to operate freely? The answer isn't primarily about imposing numerous self-made projects, but about discovering the soul's disposition and spiritual conditions that enable God's action. This allows us to bear lasting fruit, as God's strength manifests in our weakness.

Peaceful action. This understanding is not an invitation to laziness but to act under the gentle, peaceful impulse of the Holy Spirit, rather than through disquietude or excessive hurry. Our zeal, even for God, can be misguided if it lacks peace. Saint Vincent de Paul, despite his immense work, emphasized that "the good that God does is done by God Himself, almost without our being aware of it. It is necessary that we be more inactive than active."

3. Inner Peace: The Battlefield of Spiritual Combat

“The devil does his utmost to banish peace from one’s heart, because he knows that God abides in peace and it is in peace that He accomplishes great things.”

Life is combat. The Christian life is a constant, sometimes painful, battle against evil, temptation, and sin, which continues until death. This combat is positive, serving as a path for purification, spiritual growth, and self-knowledge in our weakness, ultimately leading to transfiguration. However, it is fought with the absolute certainty of victory, as Christ has already conquered.

Fighting the right battle. A crucial secret of spiritual combat is discerning the true battlefield. Often, the devil subtly draws us into fighting the wrong battle, such as striving for absolute invincibility over faults. This leads to inevitable defeat and discouragement, as no one can pretend never to fall.

Peace as the goal. The primary goal of spiritual combat is not always to achieve victory over temptations, but to learn to maintain peace of heart under all circumstances, even in defeat. This allows us to rebound from falls, not in panic, but with continued peace, enabling God's grace to work more efficaciously and rapidly towards the ultimate elimination of our faults.

4. All Reasons for Losing Peace Are Illusory

All the reasons that cause us to lose our sense of peace are bad reasons.

Faith over worldly logic. This conviction is not based on human reasoning but on an unshakable certitude of faith in God's Word. If we seek peace according to worldly logic—expecting it only when everything goes well, without annoyances, and desires are satisfied—our peace will be fragile and short-lived. Jesus explicitly states, "Peace I leave with you, My own peace I give to you; a peace the world cannot give, this is My gift to you. Let not your hearts be troubled or afraid."

Divine promise. Jesus' words are divine, carrying the same creative force that brought forth the universe and quieted storms. His promise of peace is irrevocable; it is we who often fail to acquire or preserve it due to a lack of faith. Despite worldly troubles, we can always abide in peace in Jesus because He has conquered the world and death, manifesting God's benevolence towards us.

Unshakable foundation. With God on our side, who can be against us? Who can separate us from the love of Christ? This unshakable foundation of faith allows us to confront situations that typically cause disquietude, fear, or discouragement. Our distress is often rooted in a lack of trust in God's unwavering love and power to work all things for our good.

5. Goodwill: The Sole Condition for True Peace

Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis (Peace on earth to men of goodwill).

A necessary condition. Interior peace is not for everyone, especially those who consciously flee God or His demands. For those who oppose God, the devil seeks to tranquilize them, while God disquiets their consciences for conversion. True, profound, and durable peace requires goodwill, or purity of heart—a stable, constant disposition to love God above all else and sincerely prefer His will in all circumstances.

Not perfection, but disposition. Goodwill is not perfection or achieved sainthood; it can coexist with hesitations, imperfections, and even faults. It is the habitual determination to always say "yes" to God, suffering when one falls short, seeking pardon, and striving to return to this disposition. This fundamental attitude, rooted in faith, hope, and love, allows God's grace to gradually lead us towards perfection.

Sufficient for peace. Conversely, even with many faults, goodwill suffices to maintain peace of heart. God, a good and compassionate Father, asks only for this desire to love Him above all, to suffer when unable to love sufficiently, and to be disposed to detach from anything contrary to Him. It is God's role to fulfill these desires that man, by his own strength, cannot fully realize. As Saint Thérèse of Lisieux noted, even a "bloody little dog of goodwill" can save us from perils and lead us to paradise.

6. Total Abandonment to Divine Providence

One Abandons Oneself Completely or Not at All.

Fear of lack. A common reason for losing peace is the fear of lacking something important—be it health, financial security, human capabilities, or spiritual progress. This apprehension, whether facing present or future difficulties, generates restlessness. Human resources and wisdom, with their calculations and precautions, are insufficient; man is never assured of possessing any good.

Rely on God alone. The only solution to preserve peace amidst life's hazards is total reliance on God, trusting that "Your heavenly Father knows what you need." The surest way to lose peace is to try to secure one's life solely through human efforts, personal projects, or reliance on others, leading to anxiety and torment given our limitations.

The paradox of abandonment. Abandonment requires renunciation, letting go of attachments to material goods, affections, and desires. This feels like losing oneself, but Jesus' law of "who loses gains" promises that whoever loses his life for His sake will find it. Total surrender to God's hands, allowing Him to give and take as He pleases, brings inexpressible peace and interior freedom, returning everything a hundredfold.

7. Embrace Suffering with Childlike Trust

If He permits suffering, then it is our strength to believe, as Thérèse of Lisieux says, that “God does not permit unnecessary suffering.”

God's wisdom in suffering. A major obstacle to abandonment is the presence of suffering, both personal and global. God permits suffering even for those who abandon themselves, sometimes leaving them wanting in worldly terms. However, He never deprives them of what is essential: His presence, peace, and all necessary for their fulfillment according to His plan.

Beyond human understanding. To fully embrace Christian faith, we must believe that God is good and powerful enough to use all evil and suffering, however absurd, for our good. This is not a philosophical certainty but an act of faith, rooted in Jesus' resurrection as God's definitive victory over evil. God's ways are higher than ours, often incomprehensible, requiring us to "hope against all hope."

Contemplation and experience. Growing in this total confidence requires contemplative gaze on Jesus, whose "too great a love" on the cross inspires unshakable trust. Prayer, a personal experience of God, allows us to "taste and see how good the Lord is," providing certitudes stronger than reasoning. Through abandonment, we concretely experience that God "makes all things work together for my good, even evil, even suffering, even my own sins," transforming dreaded occasions into beneficial ones.

8. Patience: The Key to Growth in Self and Others

“Nothing retards progress in a virtue so much as wanting to acquire it with too much haste!”

Peace in others' faults. We often lose peace due to the behavior of others, whether it's a spouse's desired conversion not materializing or a community member's imperfections. While we should gently aid others, the ultimate response is confidence and abandonment, trusting God to draw good from all things. The key principle is not only to desire good things but to desire them in a good, peaceful, and patient way.

Moderating desires. Our zeal, even for good, can be tainted by impatience, hurry, or irritation, which are not from the Holy Spirit. All saints emphasize moderating desires, even the best ones, because impatient wanting troubles the soul, destroys peace, and hinders God's action. A desire that causes us to lose peace, even if the desired outcome is excellent, is not of God.

God's timing. We must learn to be patient with others, just as God is patient. If God has not yet transformed a person or removed an imperfection, it is because He waits for the opportune moment. Why be more demanding than God? This patience brings about indispensable purification within us, freeing our hearts and judgments from narrowness, allowing God's vast and appealing designs to unfold.

9. God Draws Good Even from Our Faults

“Love is able to profit from everything, the good as well as the bad that It finds in me, and to transform it into Itself.”

Peace in imperfection. Even for those deeply committed to God, the sight of personal misery, faults, and failures can cause a loss of peace. However, sadness, discouragement, and anguish after a fault are not good; we must strive to remain at peace. The goal is not superhuman effort to eliminate sin, but to quickly regain peace after falling and avoid discouragement.

God's preference. This approach is more pleasing to God and leads to faster sanctification. God prefers a contrite heart that immediately turns to His mercy, thanking Him for preventing worse sins, and trusting that the experience of misery will foster humility and reliance on His love. Our distress after sin is often mixed with pride, a sign of trusting in ourselves rather than God.

Mercy's alchemy. God's mercy is so great that He can draw good even from our faults and infidelities. As Saint Augustine noted, "even sins" can work for the good of those who love God. While we must energetically fight sin, our failures, when met with humility and confidence, become opportunities for growth in mercy towards others and a deeper reliance on God's grace, preventing the greater evil of pride.

10. Decide with Peace, Not Perfectionism

God loves him more who knows how to decide for himself without equivocating, even when he is uncertain, and who abandons himself with confidence to God as to the consequences, rather than the one who torments his spirit unceasingly in an effort to know what God expects of him and who never decides.

Unrest in decisions. Lack of certitude when making decisions, fearing mistakes or not doing God's will, frequently causes a loss of peace. While deliberation, prayer, and seeking advice are necessary, especially for important choices, God does not always provide clear, unambiguous answers.

Accepting uncertainty. When God leaves us in incertitude, we must quietly accept it rather than tormenting ourselves by trying to "force things." Saint Faustina advises that if uncertainty remains after reflection and counsel, "whatever I do, it will be good, provided that I have the intention to do good." God looks at the intention and grants reward accordingly, even if the outcome isn't perfect.

Freedom over infallibility. A "false obedience" to God sometimes hides a desire for infallibility or fear of judgment. God, our compassionate Father, knows our limitations. He asks for goodwill and right intentions, not perfect decisions. Deciding with confidence in uncertainty, trusting God to draw good from any error, demonstrates more abandonment and love than endless equivocation. Perfectionism has little to do with sanctity; God loves those who walk with freedom of spirit.

11. The Royal Way: Love in Poverty and Humility

We will be saints the day when our inabilities and our nothingness will no longer be for us a subject of sadness and anxiety, but a subject of peace and joy.

Love is the guide. The path of peace, liberty, confident abandonment, and quiet acceptance of shortcomings is superior because it embodies true love. As Saint Faustina said, "When I do not know what to do, I question love, for love is the best counselor!" True perfection is not flawless behavior but the most disinterested love of God and the least prideful pursuit of self.

Joy in poverty. "Happy are the poor in spirit, for the Kingdom of God is theirs." This refers to those enlightened by the Holy Spirit who joyously accept their poverty and nothingness, placing all hope in God. Their inabilities become a marvelous opportunity for God to manifest His immense love and mercy, transforming sadness into peace and joy.

Quickest path to holiness. This approach, based on the joyous acceptance of one's poverty, is not resignation to mediocrity but the quickest and surest road to perfection. It places us in a position of smallness, confidence, and abandonment, allowing God to act by His grace and carry us to perfection through pure mercy, a perfection we could never achieve by our own strength. Perseverance in small acts done with love, like those of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, leads to profound peace that "nobody can take from us."

Last updated: August 18, 2025