Ambassador of His Peace

       Helen Keller became a great public speaker, even though she could neither see nor hear. On one occasion she was asked this question: “Helen, if you could have one wish granted, what would it be?” She replied: “I wish for world peace.” Jesus would have applauded Helen’s beautiful response, for that is what He told His followers they were to be, ambassadors of His peace in the world: “Happy are they who work for peace, God will call them His children” (Matthew 5:9). In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus empowered and sent His seventy-two disciples out to proclaim this Good News. Through the graces and gifts bestowed on us at our Baptism, each of us is called to be an ambassador of the peace which God has given to us in Christ.

God’s plan and design has always been for the peace of all His creatures. At different points of our journey with God, we have all sinned and thus rejected God’s priceless gift of peace. Every sin is a disruption of the peace of the individual, the community and the world. In spite of our weakness, our Savior never abandons us and is always ready to forgive us, if we open our hearts to His endless mercy and love. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are commissioned to go forth and courageously share this Good News of Christ’s gracious forgiveness and the gift of peace it brings.

How can we prepare to be fruitful Ambassadors of Christ’s Peace in our world? First and foremost, we must be obedient to God and to His commands. The second step is to be attentive to the message of Christ and to follow His example at all times. The third step is to always respond positively to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who is the principle agent that leads us to peace. The fourth step is to listen to the Church as she continues to guide us, in God’s name, through the path of salvation. By so doing we connect ourselves to the Triune God, who is the fount and source of peace. This is very essential because at the end of our journey here on earth, when we come face to face with our God, the deciding factor will be how much we are at peace with Him, with our brothers and sisters, with ourselves and how much we have contributed to the consolidation of peace in the world.

May the peace of Christ dwell in your heart!
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM