Walking in the Way of PeaceDecember 29, 2025

Walking in the Way of Peace

“While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.” St. Francis of Assisi

How easily we say to one another, “Happy New Year! Peace to you and yours!” Easier said than done, right? How might we follow St. Francis’ advice?

One way is to embody his attraction to Lady Poverty. Instead of grasping for more and more we can pray for the gift of contentment with what we have. This may be a way to approach possessions but it may also mean contentment with who we are and with whom we interact. Contentment doesn’t mean blind acceptance; it more accurately means happiness from seeing all we have been given as precious because of the Giver.

Another way to have peace in our heart is to save some moments of each day for silence and wonder. Resting in silence allows us to be aware of the presence of God in our heart as well as in people and all of creation. Silence sets the scene for wonder;wonder can bring with it the experience of inward peace.

Peace in the heart can expand from an occasional feeling to anall-encompassing way of life if it is nurtured. We nurture it by giving it time to grow, by respecting how it manifests itself, by practicing it. Spending time with peaceful people can also be a strategy that fosters growth.

As we welcome 2026, let’s take some time to reflect on our relationship to peace in the past. Then let us re-commit ourselves to being people of peace. This journey requires determination and grit. Travel it with a trusted companion. It’s not for the fainthearted!

Sister Virginia DeVinne