The Lord Jesus said: "I have said this to you,
that in me you may have peace. In the world you have
tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world” (John 16:33).
In
the Orthodox Church liturgies, prayers for peace abound
in the litanies. Additional the celebrant and
congregants wish each other peace throughout the
services. When the Gospel is proclaimed, peace is
wished upon all those listening.
Yet, we know that peace in the world is elusive, even
though Christ our Lord commands us to love even our
enemies. We pray for and hope for and pursue peace with
all, and yet we cannot determine how others will act
towards us or towards each other. St. Gregory the Great,
(d. 604AD) reflects on the difficulty of wishing to pursue
peace in a world in which many are not interested in peace
at all, nor are they influenced by or concerned about God.
Are Christians only to be Good Samaritans and come in and
help those who are suffering, or do Christians have any
mandate to resist or prevent evil from occurring, even by
the use of force?
St. Gregory writes:
Therefore, those who are peaceful should be advised
that if they desire human peace too greatly, they might
fail to reprove the evil conduct of others. And by
condoning that behavior, they will sever themselves from
the peace of the Creator – for by avoiding external
quarrels, they will be punished for breaking their
internal alliance [with God]. For what is transitory peace
if not a footprint of eternal peace? Therefore, what could
be more demented than to love a footprint, pressed in
dust, but not love the one who made the impression?
Thus David, when he would bind himself
to the internal footprints of peace, testifies that
he did not hold any concord with evil persons,
saying: ‘Did I not hate them who hated you,
God, and waste away because of your enemies?’
For to hate God’s enemies with a perfect hatred
is to love what they were made to be but to reprove
what they do; in other words, to reprove the actions
of the wicked but to remain of assistance to them.
Therefore, we must well consider what a great sin it
is if we silence our criticism of the wicked and hold
peace with them. […] The peaceful are to be
advised that they not fear to disturb the temporal
peace by offering words of correction. Again, they
should be advised that they keep inwardly with
undiminished love that peace that will be disturbed
externally by their reproving words. David declares
that he has observed both prudently when he says:
‘ With those who hate peace, I was a
peacemaker; when I spoke to them, they fought against
me without a cause.’Notice that when he spoke,
he became embattled, and yet, despite this
opposition, he was peaceful. He did not cease to
correct those who were incensed against him, nor did
he cease to love those whom he reproved.
Likewise,
Paul said: ‘If it is possible, as much as it is
in you, have peace with all people.’ For just as
he was about to exhort his disciples to have peace with
everyone, he began by saying: ‘If it is
possible,’ then added: ‘as much as it is in
you.’For indeed, it was difficult for them who
were to correct evil acts to have peace with everyone.
But when temporal peace is disturbed in the hearts of
evil men because of our correction, it is necessary
that peace should remain in our own hearts. For it is
rightly said: ‘As much as it is in
you’ (The Book of Pastoral
Rule, pp 151-153).
Peace is to rule in our hearts, even if we have to
confront evildoers and those who disturb the peace. We
should defend what is good and right without losing the
peace that comes from Christ.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
sons of God (Matthew 5:9).
27 августа 2015 г.
