Peace and Spirituality

 Along with love and joy, peace is one of the fruits of the spirit. But it is also one of the roots. In other words, peace is a necessary condition of spirituality, no less than an inevitable result of it. In the words of St. Paul, it is peace which keeps the heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God.   "The Divine Within" Aldous Huxley

I like Huxley's commentary on Paul's Peace. Paul wrote of the fruits of the spirit as indicators of whether we are of that Tree, that God-Tree, that Vine and its Roots. He included Peace as one of those key fruits in at least two ways - to grow spiritually, it is a necessary condition, and Peace is the inevitable result of spiritual growth. 

If we are to take Peace seriously, we need to do an honest self-inventory. Are we peaceful? Do we give ourselves excuses to be not peaceful? Do we blame others and refuse our own responsibility for our unpeacefulness? Do we strive to turn our unpeaceful tendencies around, or do we like to be disruptive and unpeaceful? The chemicals surging through our bodies when we are angry and disruptive can be addictive.

Or, can we honestly say that we are making progress in a life of peace? Can we say that we are more and more at peace? In the arc of our lives, do we see a trend toward peace? How close are we to being peace/Peace that passes understanding? Huxley says that Peace is God, as we cannot actually understand God, but we can live in close harmony.

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me...