Blessed are the Peacemakers
As you know, we are using Jesus’ list of the blessed from his Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Matthew as a guide to becoming Spiritual Warriors ourselves. We have defined a Spiritual Warrior as a person who has the strength to know who they are, what they stand for, where they are called, and how they are going to get there.
In Part 7, we discussed “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” It takes a strong identification with our Divine nature to overcome the natural desire to take care of ourselves first and care about others second. This is what we agreed would lead to a “pure heart;” that is, to think first of others: to love openly and to accept others as they are. Now, we are talking about the Beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Who are the Peacemakers?
Who are some people you think of when I say the word “Peacemaker?” Some names come almost immediately to mind for me: Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, The Dalai Lama, Joseph Campbell, Gloria Steinem, Malala Yousefa, and Maya Angelou. Can you think of any others?
Why do you think these people are considered peacemakers? Each of them has lived a life that challenged the status quo. They took the risk of loving humanity first, of asking and answering important questions such as, “how could we solve this problem? How could we meet in the middle?”
One needn’t be in a position of power or have a special creative talent to become a peacemaker.
What is a Peacemaker?
A Peacemaker has certain qualities. A Peacemaker:
· Works for justice
· Is not afraid to face conflict
· Is not afraid to speak out against injustice
· Seeks to reconcile people to one another
· Helps others solve a conflict
· Helps others reach a peaceful solution
· Can bring a sense of calm to those around them
· Seeks compromise when possible
· Is at peace with themselves
· Listens well
· Is responsive, not reactive
Are you a Peacemaker?
Without getting egotistical, consider some of your own qualities. What do you think is your best peacemaker quality?
As an example, consider this thought from a friend: “My own peaceful qualities most likely stem from two places: my mother constantly asking us to ask ourselves how we would feel if it were us, and living with chronic illness for over 20 years.”
What do you think you can do to enhance that quality in yourself?
“A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities.” — The Dalai Lama
A Peacemaker is a Spiritual Warrior
As we walk the path toward becoming Spiritual Warriors, we must learn to encourage within ourselves the qualities that will make us Peacemakers in our daily lives. If we want to become Peacemakers, we must constantly meet hate, ugliness and fear with love, in every situation. Always love. Always unity.
To bring peace to the world, we must have peace within ourselves.
© 2022 by Suzy Jacobson Cherry
