The peace of God is another divine perfection completely realizing its faithful image in the admirable Heart of the most holy Mother of God. But before studying the reflection, let us gaze at the original and consider this adorable perfection of the peace of God Himself.
What is the peace of God? It is a divine perfection consisting, according to St. Dionysius, in the ineffable union of God with Himself (1).
God is unutterably united with Himself, first of all, by His incomprehensible love for His Divine Self. Secondly, by His infinite sanctity, which raises Him immeasurably above anything that could affect His peace, if this could ever be affected. Thirdly, by His admirable simplicity, which renders all His perfections one single united perfection, which is the equivalent of the divine essence itself.
Fourthly, the infinite peace of God is maintained by the union which reigns between the eternal Persons, who share one spirit, one heart, one will, one purpose, one power, one wisdom, one goodness, and the same essence. This essence is eternal, impassible, invariable; hence nothing that happens in heaven, earth or hell can ever trouble its peace. God’s peace is God Himself, who is ever tranquil and unutterable. He is the first and sovereign principle of peace and entertains an unspeakable horror of all discord and division. He sent His only Son, the Prince of Peace, into the world to extinguish all our enmities with His Precious Blood, "killing the enmities in himself" (Eph 2:16), to reconcile us to His Heavenly Father, as well as to our brethren and to ourselves, and to be Himself our peace: "For He is our peace" (Eph 2:14). Our Savior accomplished this by destroying sin, the only source of division, and pacifying all creatures in heaven and on earth: "He made peace through the blood of his cross, both as to the things that are on earth, and the things that are in heaven" (Col 1:20). Such is the peace of God which St. Justus called the silence of God (2).
Now this adorable peace of God has impressed an excellent image of itself on the Heart of the Mother of Peace. In the first place, sin, the sole enemy of peace and the only cause of discord, never possessed the slightest power over the most holy Heart of Mary.
Secondly, divine grace, which always reigned within her Heart, kept the passions, senses, and all other faculties of the body and soul of the Mother of Grace under the rule of reason and the laws of God’s spirit.
Thirdly, the most profound humility of Mary’s Heart endowed her with a passionate love of suffering and humiliation, and enabled her to endure them in peacefulness.
Fourthly, the extraordinary love of her admirable Heart for holy poverty induced her to bear with equanimity the sorrows and discomforts which invariably accompany it.
In the fifth place, her ardent love of the Cross made her find refreshment even in trials and tribulations. In the sixth place, the invincible patience which strengthened her in the troubles, tempests and changes of our miserable earthly life, gave her complete possession of the most profound peace.
In the seventh place, the inconceivable charity towards mankind, which filled her gentle Heart, allowed no sentiment of aversion of enmity to sway her, even towards those who betrayed, sold and crucified her dearly beloved Son. Nay more, she herself offered Christ to the Eternal Father in expiation of their crime, and to re-establish an everlasting peace between God and man. That is why the Holy Spirit inspires her to say that she "found the precious treasure of peace that man had lost through sin" (Song 8:10). In the eighth place, her virginal Heart never having followed any will but the will of God, she always possessed God’s own peace in a most eminent degree.
Finally, divine peace so completely filled and permeated this peaceful Heart that it became a haven of peace and a source of tranquility for all who, troubled and shaken by the storm of adversity, passion and temptation, have recourse to her incomparable benignity with humility and confidence. O Queen of Peace, grant that our hearts may bear an image of the holy peace that reigns in thine!
This article was excerpted from St. John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of Mary, Part Five, Chapter VI. St. John Eudes is a spiritual father of the Order of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a contemplative community of lay and religious dedicated to serving the Hearts of Jesus and Mary through Eucharistic Adoration, contemplation, and corporal works of mercy. For more information on the order, visit www.heartsofjesusandmary.org.
Notes
(1) De ipsa divina pace…quomodo Deus quiescat in se et intra se sit, et totus secum sit supra quam unitus…neque cogitare ulli eorum qui sunt fas est, neque possible. De divin. Nominibus. Cap. II, I.
(2) Cf. Pachymyer. Paraphras, sancti Dionysii: Migni, Patrol, gr. latine tant.edita, tom. 2, p. 579.