In a recent attempt to catch a break from the constant chaos in the headlines as well as in my own personal life, I picked up a new copy of Father Jacques Philippe's book Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart.
I was not disappointed.
I had read this and many of Fr. Philippe's other books in the past. (I always loan them out, which is why I had to buy a new copy; and I'm so glad I did.)
As always, I was met with such profound consolation. I'm ever grateful for Fr. Philippe's ability to distill complicated theological issues into bite-sized, easy-to-understand passages. It's no wonder his works, which center on themes such as prayer, interior freedom, and the Beatitudes, have sold over a million copies in 24 different languages.
One section of Searching for and Maintaining Peace is so profound (p. 49), I must copy it below in its entirety. Since meditating on this insight, I can't see a photo of an anguished immigrant, a lonely prisoner, or a starving child without seeing the face of Christ.
In all people who suffer there is Jesus
The most decisive motive to aid us in peacefully confronting the drama of suffering is this: we must take very seriously the mystery of the Incarnation and that of the Cross. Jesus took our flesh, He really took upon Himself our sufferings. And in all people who suffer there is Jesus who suffers.
In the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, chapter 25, in the narrative on the Last Judgment, Jesus says to those who took care of the sick or visited prisoners: Insofar as you did it for one of these least of My brothers, you did it for Me.
These words of the Lord teach us that "on the eve of our life we will be judged by how much we loved" (St. John of the Cross) and in particular how much we loved our brothers in need. It is an exhortation to compassion. But, these words of Jesus, do they not invite us also to recognize His traits, His presence in all those who suffer?
They call us to apply ourselves with all our strength to relieve this suffering, but also to view it with hope. In all suffering there is a germ of life and of the resurrection, because Jesus is there in person.
If, in confronting a person who is suffering, we have this conviction that it is Jesus Who is suffering in this person, Who in this person completes that which is lacking in His Passion, to speak like St. Paul, how can one despair in the face of this suffering?
Is His Passion not redemptive? Therefore, do not grieve as other people who do not have hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Searching for and Maintaining Peace, along with all of Fr. Jacques Philippe's books, is available at Scepter Press.
