Seeking Peace: Notes and Conversations Along the Way (English & Spanish)

252 Pages·1998·0.88 MB·Spanish

by  Johann Christoph Arnold

Seeking Peace
Notes and Conversations along the Way
Johann Christoph Arnold
Foreword by Madeleine L’Engle
Preface by Thich Nhat Hanh
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N
ow think for a moment about the meaning of this word
“peace.” Does it seem strange to you that the angels should
have announced Peace, when ceaselessly the world has been
stricken with War and the fear of War? Does it seem to you that
the angelic voices were mistaken, and that the promise was a
disappointment and a cheat?
Reflect now, how Our Lord Himself spoke of Peace. He said to
His disciples, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”
Did He mean peace as we think of it: the kingdom of England at
peace with its neighbors, the barons at peace with the King, the
householder counting over his peaceful gains, the swept hearth,
his best wine for a friend at the table, his wife singing to the chil­
dren? Those men, His disciples, knew no such things: they went
forth to journey afar, to suffer by land and sea, to know torture,
imprisonment, disappointment, to suffer death by martyrdom.
What then did He mean? If you ask that, remember then that He
said also, “Not as the world gives, give I unto you.” So then, He
gave to His disciples peace, but not peace as the world gives.
T. S. Eliot
Murder in the Cathedral
S E E K I N G P E A C E 4
Contents
Foreword by Madeleine L’Engle 6

Preface by Thich Nhat Hanh 8

Part I

Seeking Peace 10

Part II

Meanings 15

Peace as the Absence of War 18

Peace in the Bible 21

Peace as a Social Cause 23

Peace in Personal Life 25

The Peace of God 29

The Peace that Passes Understanding 32

Part III

Paradoxes 34

Not Peace, but a Sword 36

The Violence of Love 42

No Life without Death 47

The Wisdom of Fools 54

The Strength of Weakness 60

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S E E K I N G P E A C E 5
Part IV
Part V

Stepping Stones 66
The Abundant Life 192

Simplicity 74
Security 202

Silence 79
Wholeness 210

Surrender 86
Joy 218

Prayer 95
Action 226

Trust 104
Justice 234

Forgiveness 113
Hope 243

Gratitude 119

Honesty 126

Humility 134

Obedience 143

Decisiveness 151

Repentance 158

Conviction 167

Realism 176

Service 184

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S E E K I N G P E A C E 6
Foreword

by Madeleine L’Engle
Shalom. Peace. A peace that is not passive, but active. A peace
that is not just the cessation of violence, but is through and beyond
violence. Real peace.
At the end of a century that has been notable for its lack of
peace, it is good to have Johann Christoph Arnold’s fine book, Seek­
ing Peace. He quotes his grandfather’s definition of peace: “the in­
ner peace of the soul with God; the fulfillment of non-violence,
through peaceful relationships with others; and the establishment
of a just and peaceful social order.” As I listen to the news each
morning, we seem to be slipping further and further away from
this threefold peace. We need this book which guides us to Shalom.
A decade or so ago one evening during Lent, at Manhattan’s Ca­
thedral Church of St. John the Divine, I listened to the Reverend
Canon Edward West talk about the peace we seek, and use the
rather unexpected metaphor of a subway.
Most of us in the audience that night rode the subway, to the
Cathedral, to and from work. He pointed out to us that if we looked
at the people riding in the same car with us, most of them would
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S E E K I N G P E A C E 7
look as though nobody loved them. And that, alas, was largely true.
Then he told us that if we would concentrate inconspicuously on
one person, affirming silently that this person was a
beloved child of God, and, no matter what the circumstances, could
lie in God’s peace, we might see a difference. Peace is not always
something you “do;” it is a gift you can give.
The next time I rode the subway I glanced at a woman in the cor­
ner, hunched over, hands clenched, an expression of resigned en­
durance on her face. So, without looking at her, I began to try to
send God’s loving peace to her. I didn’t move. I didn’t stare at her. I
simply followed Canon West’s suggestion, and to my wonder she
began to relax. Her hands unclenched; her body relaxed; the lines
of anxiety left her face. It was a moment for me of great gratitude,
and a peace that spread out and filled me too.
It is something I try to remember as I ride a subway or bus, or
walk down the crowded streets, or stand in slow-moving lines at
the supermarket. If God’s peace is in our hearts, we carry it with us,
and it can be given to those around us, not by our own will or vir­
tue, but by the Holy Spirit working through us. We cannot give
what we do not have, but if the spirit blows through the dark
clouds, and enters our hearts, we can be used as vehicles of peace,
and our own peace will be thereby deepened. The more peace we
give away, the more we have.
In Seeking Peace, Christoph Arnold tells of many such incidents,
illustrating as well as explaining the kind of peace he calls us to
seek. This is an important as well as a beautiful book, and a much
needed one to help us take God’s peace with us into the new mil­
lennium.
Goshen, Connecticut
Summer 1998
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S E E K I N G P E A C E 8
Preface

by Thich Nhat Hanh
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are the peace­
makers, for they shall be called the children of God.” To work for
peace, you must have a peaceful heart. When you do, you are a
child of God. But many who work for peace are not at peace. They
still have anger and frustration, and their work is not really peace­
ful. We cannot say that they are touching the kingdom of God. To
preserve peace, our hearts must be at peace with the world, with
our brothers and our sisters. This truth is at the heart of Johann
Christoph Arnold’s welcome new book, Seeking Peace.
We often think of peace as the absence of war; that if the power­
ful countries would reduce their arsenals, we could have peace. But
if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds – our
prejudices, fears, and ignorance. Even if we transported all the
bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the reasons for bombs
would still be here, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we
would make new bombs.
Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall
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kill shall be in danger of judgment.’ But I say unto you, that whoso­
ever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of
the judgment… Whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool,’ shall be in danger
of hell fire.” So working for peace must mean more than getting
rid of weapons. It must start with uprooting war from ourselves
and from the hearts of all men and women.
How can we end the cycle of violence? Arnold tells us that before
we can make peace with others and with the world, we must make
peace with ourselves. How true this is! If we are at war with our
parents, our family, our society, or our church, there is probably a
war going on inside us also. Therefore the most basic work for
peace is to return to ourselves and create harmony among the ele­
ments within us – our feelings, our perceptions, our mental states.
As you read this book, seek to recognize the conflicting elements
within you and their underlying causes. Seek to become more
aware of what causes anger and separation, and what overcomes
them. Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compas­
sionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within,
real peace with others will be possible.
Village des Pruniers, France
Spring 1998
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