The war on truth, the desire for peace

In so many of its forms, peace seems to be more elusive than ever in our fast-paced world. For many of us, our hectic lives hinder our efforts to seek peace, cultivate peace and ultimately achieve an interior peace of heart.

John Hunt

Jesus tells us in John’s gospel: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You have heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

Our secular culture is at war with Truth, and so it’s at war with the Catholic Church. As such, the culture is at war with us — you and me. It would be simple to conclude that living an authentic Christian life is an impossibility, but such is not the case because we are believers. We accept the fact that it falls to those who know Jesus Christ to be his ambassadors, to be other Christs, to be Christ himself.

The peace we seek, the peace that exceeds all other, is a product of living a faithful life — a life of prayer and mortification, temperance and perseverance, trust and fidelity. Because, you see, the anger and strife, the sinfulness and greed, appear to be winning in the marketplace, in the media and in the political arena. This apparent success could cause us to accept the triumph of evil. But be reminded that St. Augustine preached “the tranquility of order,” that peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity.

As Legatus members, we understand our obligation to serve the Church, our families, our employees and the community. But this gift of service can be tenuous if we believe it to be of our own design, of our own diligence. The longer we live and the more we insert ourselves into the culture, we come to appreciate the fact that it’s all a gift — a gift of the Holy Spirit.

May we be comforted by Our Lord’s words through St. John: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” His truly is an interior peace beyond all understanding.

JOHN HUNT is Legatus’ executive director. He and his wife Kathie are charter members of Legatus’ Chicago Chapter.