Selwyn continues to look at the seventh beatitude: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God’ (Matthew 5:9). He also continues discussing the theme “that we need to experience the peace of God in our own hearts. How can we share what we don’t have?”
I like the following comment: “Multitudes have discovered … that when we find peace with God a change takes place in our lives and we become peaceable people. What is more, we become peacemakers, reconcilers. We reconcile people to God and to each other. Being a peacemaker involves more than just keeping the peace.” He draws our attention to an essential element of peacemaking – that to ensure a lasting peace the real issues need to be identified and resolved – this may mean that a peacemaker may ‘have to stir things up in order to settle them down’. As Selwyn says, the role of a peacekeeper is hard work and requires strength and courage.
Selwyn also highlights what peacemaking is not. It is not striving ‘to keep the peace simply in order to avoid unpleasantness’. Or by avoiding ‘conflict by dealing with superficial problems’ and not addressing the real issues. ‘Those who settle for peace at any price will find that the peace they think they have achieved will eventually fall to pieces. Peacemaking is not a matter of patching thing up but of getting to the roots of a problem.’
I feel that we have a good example of what peacemaking is not if we look at the current Israel and Lebanon conflict. The UN is attempting to end the unpleasantness of conflict and a multinational force will soon attempt to form a buffer zone between the waring parties. This situation saddens me greatly because I don’t think that the ‘roots of the problem’ are being addressed – consequently, I fear that hostilities will break out again. What do you think?
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Peacemaking is not easy
Selwyn continues to look at the seventh beatitude: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God’ (Matthew 5:9). He also continues discussing the theme “that we need to experience the peace of God in our own hearts. How can we share what we don’t have?”
I like the following comment: “Multitudes have discovered … that when we find peace with God a change takes place in our lives and we become peaceable people. What is more, we become peacemakers, reconcilers. We reconcile people to God and to each other. Being a peacemaker involves more than just keeping the peace.” He draws our attention to an essential element of peacemaking – that to ensure a lasting peace the real issues need to be identified and resolved – this may mean that a peacemaker may ‘have to stir things up in order to settle them down’. As Selwyn says, the role of a peacekeeper is hard work and requires strength and courage.
Selwyn also highlights what peacemaking is not. It is not striving ‘to keep the peace simply in order to avoid unpleasantness’. Or by avoiding ‘conflict by dealing with superficial problems’ and not addressing the real issues. ‘Those who settle for peace at any price will find that the peace they think they have achieved will eventually fall to pieces. Peacemaking is not a matter of patching thing up but of getting to the roots of a problem.’
I feel that we have a good example of what peacemaking is not if we look at the current Israel and Lebanon conflict. The UN is attempting to end the unpleasantness of conflict and a multinational force will soon attempt to form a buffer zone between the waring parties. This situation saddens me greatly because I don’t think that the ‘roots of the problem’ are being addressed – consequently, I fear that hostilities will break out again. What do you think?
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