Peace

Richard Rohr says, “The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.”

I don’t know about you, but my newsfeed is stock full of bad news. Bad people doing bad and horrible things to one another. On top of all the bad news we are witness to one of the most divided times in our country. Everywhere I turn I hear of this bad news. On top of that I hear our leaders simply arguing over who is to blame. As if we can simply find someone to blame then find someone to respond the way we want, and all these problems of the world will be fixed. We hear arguing instead of deep thinking of the very real problems we face in our lives here within our own communities as well as the violence of war.

Many of us are seeking an answer to the question what can we do? We can’t solve the world’s problems. We can’t solve the problems of the lingering pandemic. We can’t solve the problems of an economic storm that is causing prices to rise across the board for everyone. We can’t go talk to those world leaders who turn towards evil, power and violence and tell them to STOP! We could close our eyes or grow a hardened heart and cover our worry and our pain with anger. There are any number of ways to respond when our communities and world bring news of pain and violence.

We can practice better

I like this quote from Richard Rohr because it speaks to me as a person with an empathetic heart who feels the pain in the images of war and violence. As a person who has witnessed the rise of hate and anger over these last few years. As a person who wishes we could stop yelling and be more compassionate instead of using the worries of the world as political tools in order to kick the other down just a little bit more. As a person who wishes we could listen to the love of God more instead of our own pain that finds a home in the ridicule of “them, those, and the others”.

I can practice the better

I can criticize less with my words and realize that practicing better is not something that I can do to solve the problems of the world. Practicing better means that better finds a home in my heart. Better in my heart means that the empathy I feel for the people who are facing war, violence, hunger, homelessness, addiction and so on and on and on doesn’t get taken over by judgement and self-righteousness. This idea of better means that peace finds a home in my heart so that in every aspect of my daily life people experience peace through me. That seems better than people finding more anger and judgement.

I can practice better

I cannot preach peace while the pain of empathy turns my soul to revenge. I cannot preach peace while being infected with the need to blame. The pains of the world are simply that. Pains of the world and the struggles of humanity as part of our human existence. To turn our attention to blame and revenge means that the pain only expands to infect more and more souls.

We can practice better

We all can be part of the healing process. We can all become advocates and allies for those who are facing oppression. We can respond to the human atrocities happening in the Ukraine by remembering that people in our own hometown communities are facing many of the same atrocities. Those atrocities that we are witnessing in the Ukraine happen at home each day in every community.  To do better is to see the hurt in our own community and work to heal all that we have broken in the name of power and greed.

The practice of better, to do better and to criticize the bad is to practice peace in our hearts.

I believe that God is on the side of peace making even while we make war.

If I’m going to stand in a position of crying for peace that peace must start with me.

This work of being love in the world keeps me in perfect harmony and singing to the tune of God’s peace.

To criticize the bad is to do better and make peace part of my soul instead of just a word and a symbol.

Peace Begins

Me n You

Here n Now