|
|
|
Then
what about peace on earth? How will there be peace if we don’t work
to make it happen?
 hat’s a reasonable question,
given that each time you go to Sunday Mass (outside
of Lent and Advent) you hear the words, “Glory to God in the highest
and peace to his people on earth.” This opening line of the
Gloria comes from Luke 2:14, translated in the New American Bible
as “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom
his favor rests.” Right there you can see a big discrepancy between
the two versions. So take a look at the Latin text of the Gloria:
Glória in excélsis Deo et in terra pax homínibus
bonæ voluntátis. Literally translated, this says, “Glory
to God in the highest and, on earth, peace to men of good
will.”
Many listeners, especially
feminists with their unconscious desire to make God
pay for the sins of their fathers, have a problem
with hearing “men” of good will. And that’s why the official
English version “sanitizes” the text to make it palatable to the
general public. But the truth is, political
correctness and theological correctness are
mutually exclusive; you can’t serve two masters. Moreover, if the general
public learned some Latin there wouldn’t be a problem.
The Latin word homines
is a generic term referring to both men and women, in contrast to the Latin
word, vir, for a man—a male hominus, so to speak—and
the word, femina, for a woman. So when English translates
homines as “men” it means both males and females. And notice
that the Latin text of the Gloria never refers to people (which has
it own word, populus) at all. No, it says men of good will,
and for good reason.
What are men of good will? Well,
the only good will is God’s will, so “men of good will” are
those persons, both male and female, who do God’s will, keeping
his commandments in reverent obedience and living
in chastity of
body and soul. They aren’t “all
people,” but rather they are a special sort of people, the ones who
pray to the Father, “Thy will be done”—and really mean it
in their hearts, rather than just say the words along with all the other
people.
But notice that we are all men
of free will, also. This means that to do
God’s will is to, well, to will it. It’s a voluntary sort of thing.
And that is the core of the problem with peace on earth.
The text in terra pax
homínibus bonæ voluntátis is telling us that peace
is given only to those of good will; that is, those who will to do
God’s will. Peace isn’t something that God can just hand us on
a silver platter simply because we are all his “people.” After
all, if God made us do something against our will it wouldn’t be a genuine
act of love.
Therefore peace—mental,
spiritual, or social—really depends on freely willing to do God’s
will.
We cannot have peace by trying
to build it as an end in itself.
We cannot have peace by trying
to follow a conscience uninformed by the
Magisterium of the Church.
We shall have peace only through
obedience to God by using our free will to
empty ourselves of all that is not God’s
will.
|
Even the Holy
Spirit cannot make us do God’s will. We have to respond to divine
grace by willing to do God’s will. Then the Holy Spirit can give
us the courage, the strength, and the guidance to do God’s
will.
But as long as there are parts of you still
resisting—or
angry at—God, then you will be unable to recognize
the guidance of the Holy Spirit even as it is being offered. |
|
So if you want to work for peace
then work on seeking true nakedness of spirit and
spiritual purgation.
And, ironically, the very fact
that so many “people” look for easier—and contradictory—ways
to “make” peace through human effort
is the reason there isn’t peace in the world in the first
place.
|
Do not think
that I have come to establish peace on the earth. No, I tell you, but rather
division. |
|
|
—Luke 12:51 |
|
And what is this division? Well,
if you read the texts of both Luke 12:49–53 and Matthew 10:34–36,
you might realize that it is the division between the people and men
of good will.
Christian
peace is not the comfort of having everything go smoothly, just as you would
like it to go; Christian peace is the confidence—the peace of heart
and mind—of believing that no matter what happens, no matter how much
a trial it may be, Christ will give you the courage and strength to do whatever
needs to be done
to fulfill God’s will.
  
DID MY WORK help you? Have you found
insight into your behavior? Have you found information unlike anywhere else?
Then why not make a Quick & Easy donation to this freewill website
to express your gratitude for my labor in creating something substantial,
something that can change your life for the better?
|
|
|
Read an excerpt about peace
from a sermon
