Sunday Messages

This Week’s Message

A New Peace

We are born with an innate desire to live in peace. We thrive in peace, we grow in peace, but we also live in a world that is not peaceful. We, humans are creating this unpeaceful world. It is the ultimate paradox that we create machines of war to create everlasting peace. Many people say we have to be struggling in order to expand and grow. I disagree with that theory. We make our best strides when we are at peace.

Our great Masters, Teachers, Philosophers, and Great Thinkers all tell us of the importance of peace for our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth. We need peace as much as we need air to breathe. We need a new commitment to bring peace to the world. This new peace begins with each of us.

This new peace is a conscious commitment to live peace in every thought, word, and deed. The first question to ask yourself is, “Are you at war with yourself? Are you mad, anxious, depressed, feeling unloved or hopeless?” These are all symptoms that you are not at peace with yourself. We are created to be happy, joyous, serene, loved and loving with a sense of inner hope that we are living a spiritually fulfilling life. If you are not doing this, you are at war somewhere in your inner world.

“When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world,” said Maha Ghosananda. Making peace with yourself is the first step. Where am I struggling with myself? Ask yourself this question this week and contemplate the answer and the resolution.

The second question is, “Am I at war with anyone else? Am I at war with any situation I have not yet resolved? Forgiveness and understanding and releasing are the tools to bring yourself back to peace with others.” I like this quote by Frank Sinatra. “If you don’t know the guy on the other side of the world, love him anyway because he’s just like you. He has the same dreams, the same hopes and fears. It’s one world, pal. We’re all neighbors.” We didn’t know that Frank Sinatra was a peace worker, too.

And the third question is, “Am I at war with my spiritual beliefs?” If you do not have a regular spiritual practice, it might indicate you are not at peace with your beliefs. These conflicts come about when what we believe is not in alignment with what we think and do. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” Take some time and reflect on what you really believe. Is there some belief from the past that no longer serves you that is hanging on? This is deeper peace work.

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures,” said John F. Kennedy. Peace is a way of life.

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset,” said Saint Francis de Sales.

In closing, I share this new commitment of Peace with you.

Live in the Light as the Light
Weave the Light into the Fabric of Your Life
Stay connected to the Light
Love the Light that permeates, surrounds, and protects
Use the Light in Service to others.
Be the Light.

Live in the Peace as the peace
Weave Peace into the fabric of your life
Stay connected to the Peace
Love the Peace that permeates, surrounds, and protects
Use Peace in service to others.
Be the Peace.

Namaste.