Blessed are the Peacemakers
- Team Gabbie
- Oct 31, 2024
- 4 min read
for they will be called children of God
October 31, 2024
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Let’s take a moment to recognize what peacemaking is not.
Peacemaking does NOT mean to avoid conflict.
It’s election time and there is conflict.
What Does Jesus Teach about Peace?
“Jesus has the messianic title “Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6) and he is called by St. Paul “our peace” (Eph. 2:14). Jesus proclaimed blessed the peacemakers, telling them that they were so like unto God that they could be called God’s sons (Matt. 5:9). At the Last Supper, he gave the disciples the gift of his peace. His first gift to his disciples after he rose from the dead was the gift of peace (cf. John 14:27; 20:19). St. Paul teaches that God’s peace in Jesus surpasses “all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). Still, Jesus also taught that he did not come to bring peace but a sword: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have come not to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). What is one to make of all this? How does one sort through these seemingly contradictory texts? Is Jesus the Prince of Peace or a source of division? The answer is “yes.”
Catholic Answers A Primer on Peace
Not peace but a sword.
Good vs. Evil.
Life vs. Death.
We cannot have peace without finding peace within our hearts.
And we cannot make peace if we continue to ignore, vote and support the culture of death.
So, what can we do to make peace?
Know what peace actually is.
Peace does not mean unity.
Peace comes from choosing life and not death.
“While we are working for peace, we must keep in mind that there are real enemies, both human and demonic, that oppose this work. The weak and innocent will always need to be defended. And it is the duty of the nation-state and those entrusted with the care of the common good to ensure that provisions are made for the common defense. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, in the new Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, teaches clearly that the state has the duty in charity and justice to defend the innocent.”
Catholic Answers A Primer on Peace
“St. John Paul II was very clear in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae regarding which way Catholics should vote on pro-abortion laws.”
“When a measure appears on a ballot that is positively for the promotion or legalization of abortion, Catholics have a very clear example to follow in St. John Paul II.”
"St. John Paul II wrote extensively about life issues in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, and states clearly what the Church believes when it comes to voting for pro-abortion laws.”
“Abortion and euthanasia are thus crimes which no human law can claim to legitimize ... In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to "take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it.”"
“If a ballot measure is proposed that seeks to legalize abortion, a Catholic, according to St. John Paul II, must vote against it.”
“There are cases when laws are proposed that seek to limit abortion, and even if they don't fully outlaw abortion, St. John Paul II believed a Catholic could vote for such laws.”
“[W]hen it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality.“
“St. John Paul II firmly believed that abortion should have no place in civil society and that Catholics are called to be witnesses of hope in the world, supporting women and children in any way that they can.”
Prayer for Life
Eternal Father, Source of life, open our hearts to see and desire the beauty of your plan for life and love. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our love will be generous and self-giving and we may be blessed with joy. Grant us great trust in your mercy. Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life and heal us from the effects of the culture of death. Instill in us and in all people a sense of the sacredness of every human life. Inspire our efforts to protect and care for the most vulnerable; especially women who are pregnant and their unborn children, the sick, and the elderly. Strengthen us in the hope that with you nothing is impossible. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who by his Cross makes all things new. Amen. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of Life, pray for us.
Sisters of Life | sistersoflife.org
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Matthew 5:9
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