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In early August, I flew to San Diego to attend my nephew’s graduation from the U.S. Marine Corps. It was really special seeing him after 12 weeks of basic training, especially since I was not able to be present when he left home in April. His commencement reminded me of all those who honorably serve our nation to help maintain peace and order for the sake of the common good.

Nevertheless, however good and necessary it is to sometimes maintain peace by force, the lasting peace we all thirst for in our life, family, community, nation and world will only be possible when our heart is open to receive the One — Jesus — who is our peace. St. James says so in our second reading: “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace” (Jas 3:18).

So, how can you and I cultivate the peace of Christ, so sorely needed today, as St. James teaches, and as the Prayer of St. Francis so beautifully articulates (“Make me a channel of your peace …”)?

We can do it by acknowledging that I cannot become a channel or instrument of Christ’s peace — let alone his servant — until he first reigns in my own heart. And, as far back as Jesus’ time, where putting oneself before others and seeking to be the greatest is too often the norm, we should not be at all surprised by the effects of sin: “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice” (Jas 3:16). Thus, to overcome such disorder or foul practice, we need to be in relationship with God.

During a recent small group discipleship meeting, where we were discussing how our covenant with God is all about relationships, one of the participants, who happens to work as a police officer, said, “I don’t want to just keep the peace, I want to be the peace.”

In truth, we know we are made to live in Christ’s peace, but how can we get there, since we can’t just make such peace happen? Parents know this: They can’t just make children get along. Even Jesus couldn’t “make” his disciples get along.

Peace has to be cultivated, and it all begins with making time with God a priority. That includes spending time with God each day in silence, as St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata so powerfully revealed in how she lived her life. In fact, she gave us a simple prescription that leads to peace in five not-so-easy steps: “The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; and the fruit of service is peace.”

There you have it: the tried-and-true pathway to becoming more faithful children of God, humble instruments of his peace, and genuine servants and witnesses of the Gospel, both for our families and our world. For in silence, God reveals man (woman) to himself (herself), just as the saying goes: “Know Jesus, Know Peace; No Jesus, No Peace.”

Father Eilen is pastor of St. Patrick in Oak Grove. He can be reached at [email protected].