The Second Sunday Of Easter
The Second Sunday Of Easter
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery hast established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Second Sunday Of Easter
Scripture citation(s): Matthew 5:8
A Sermon by
The Rev. Dr. Luigi Gioia
on
Matthew 5:8
✛
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
From our 2023 Evensong Sermon Series on the Beatitudes
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The Sermon on the Mount by Fra Angelico (1395-1455)
Happy are the peacemakers because they will be called sons and daughters of God in the name of the Father of the Son. And of the Holy Spirit in. Few years ago, I had a conversation which had a huge impact in the way I understood.
I came to understand the sentence which I’ve just quoted to you. Bless said the happier the peacemakers, because they will be called sons and daughters of God. I was talking with someone. Who? News or new religious communities? Very well.
Communities of monks and nuns and sisters. Someone with visited communities of this kind all over the world. And as you might know, some of these communities are thriving, peaceful and do a huge amount of good. The things I’ve seen nuns and sisters do in the Philippines, in China, in Australia are incredible.
And these communities are very united. And of course, they have their own problems. But as soon as you visit them, you are surrounded by an atmosphere of serenity and joy. But then there are other communities which are mired by infighting.
Religious communities. Monks and nuns and sisters. I visited some of those. And the sadness, the heaviness you feel as soon as you step foot into one of these communities is undescribable. And the more you do it, something which I’ve done a lot of the years, the quicker you become able to see whether there is a vicious, vicious circle in a community or that is a virtuous circle. And it has always been a question of mine. How is it that some communities. Become beacons of hope. And some others become mired with infighting. And you can translate this to families.
Why some families? Manage throughout all the difficulties to preserve really a balance and harmony and why others. End up being so divided and there are so many conflicts now that there is, of course, more than one explanation to this.
But in this case, this person I was talking with said to me that in all the communities in which which you know. Distinguish themselves for the level of harmony I’m talking to you about. He noticed that there was at least one person, however big the communities might have been ten, 20, 30, 40 members.
There is there was at least one person was capable of listening without judgment. One person who would be available to the others. At any time. For them to go and see him individually or her in the case of sisters and talk about whatever.
Without judgment. Without judgment. Now, this does not mean that it is not important. To know and to say whether something is right or whether something is wrong. And there are plenty of occasion and instances in any community where.
In any society. To do this. We are constantly under a law, under regulations, and we constantly we enjoy telling to each other. You are wrong. You’re right. It is quite easy. To be judged for the better and for the worse.
But it is incredibly difficult, incredibly difficult to find a friend, a family member, a colleague or brother or sister in a community to whom in situations of distress, pain, guilt, especially if have done something which is wrong. Or especially if I don’t know how wrong I am.
To find someone who just listens to you. And offers you the space in which and through which you can process what has happened to you. You don’t have to put up your defenses which prevent you from being able to be objective about yourself or let the lights come in or a bit more light to see what’s happening in yourself. The ability to listen without judgment to me. This is the first quality or the essential quality of a peacemaker, someone who is able to make peace. And it is an incredibly difficult thing to practice. I’ve had many times in my life the opportunity to have people have come to me to share a burden and to ask or to ask for advice. And this happens in our daily life, often on the form of friendship. And the greatest temptation for all of us is always to want to give the solution. Or to one to tell what I think about what I’m being told.
And you might be right. But the problem is that when you do this, you give to that person your solution. You are not empowering that person. You are, in a sense, empowering yourself over that person. It is much, much more difficult to be able to listen.
To be able to offer a space. And then there is a little trick, which I was told once by a therapist with whom I was talking about these issues. And she said to me, she said, Well, if you really have to say something to someone who is come to you for advice, make sure you only tell to this person what she or he has told you. Using the same words, because most of the time when people come to you to tell you a problem, they also, often, without being aware of it, offer you the solution.
They have it, but they don’t see it. It might be a tiny solution. It may not be the solution of the whole problem. You might have a better solution, but it’s not going to be the solution of the problem of this person.
It is essential. It is fundamental when we give advice that we are modest, that we are humble, that we take a step back, that we are patient. And if you we we really listen, we will hear that word which given back to the person is going to help her or him.
Often they will say, Oh my God, this is so helpful. How did you find it? Well, you told me. And then they say, Oh, yes, you are right. I told you I had the solution, or I had a solution or a beginning of a solution.
And in this way, you empower the people. So the ability to listen without judgment is the key to create and to promote and to develop peace in our communities. And there are many reasons why this is the case, but it is one which is absolutely essential when it comes to the core of Christianity.
Happy are the peacemakers. They will be called not just children of God. The Greek here is not technical. Is who you are, you say. Sons and daughters of God. This is what peacemakers in this way are doing, what the Son of God did, what Jesus did.
They are doing what the father does. The father does not come on us with readymade, readymade solutions. But he’s there constantly waiting for us to go to him, whether in prayer, whether through a minister, whether by reading scripture, whether through listening to the inner voice of the spirit in our hearts.
And he’s very happy, God, for us to do a small step. At the time, God has decided to save the world through patience, through his patients. We destroy the world. We destroy our communities because of our inpatients, lack of patience, whereas God saves the world through patience.
And there is this very elementary, fundamental form of patience which is listening. And listening without judgment. This, according to my friend, is the secret for a harmonious community. At least one of the secrets. My suggestion to you is give it a try.
The name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
