6 Simple Suggestions to Find Peace in a World of Turmoil

by Leane VanderPutten

“Two thousand years ago the world was already grown old and hoary with sin. Pagan Rome’s chief commerce was vice. Men were left to their own desires…” -Fr. Patrick Peyton

“Grown old and hoary with sin.” How much more can we say that now! The world is a mess. Everywhere we turn we hear it.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, we have the capability, literally in our hands, to hear it and see it all the time. We are inundated with what is going on outside our homes. It’s mostly bad and we can find ourselves like the audience at the Coliseum, watching the ripping apart of society…and yet sitting and taking more and more of it in. It can consume us.

“God, apparently, was nowhere on earth—except in the little home at Nazareth. God was certainly there, hidden in the Virgin Mary’s womb, as if He had to steal into His own world.” -Fr. Patrick Peyton

And God is still very much alive in our world. If we look for it, we can see that, too. There is much good happening if we open our eyes to it. And we don’t do that by looking at more news.

As Father Jacques Philippe says, “The reasons why we lose our peace are always bad reasons.” and “Happy is the man who has filled his quiver (Psalm 127) with arrows of good thoughts, that is to say, with solid convictions, based on faith, that nourish one’s intelligence and fortify one’s heart in times of trial.”

How can we nurture peace in our souls? Here are 6 simple suggestions (with help from the works of Fr. Jacques Philippe):

1. Prayer – Your prayer life is your foundation. You need the grace to continue on to do your daily duties. Morning and Night Prayers, Daily Rosary and whatever else is part of our prayer routine (without it being unrealistic). Incorporate moments of silence and solitude into your daily life, by lifting your mind and heart to God throughout the day. That in itself is very powerful. (Dip your fingers in the holy water font, too, throughout the day!)

2. The Sacraments – This is so important. Get to Mass and Confession frequently. Graces abound when we make this effort. It may be going to Mass only once more besides Sunday when we are schooling or have many little people. Making that effort will bring great results! And Confession at least once a month is very important to reconcile ourselves with God and keep the graces flowing.

3. By Living in the Present Moment – We hear this often and it can, when we truly try to live it, be very liberating. Not to worry about the past, not to dwell on the future, but be aware of the NOW is powerful. One thing that helps me is my afternoon walks when I say one of my rosaries. It rejuvenates me. The beautiful nature around me can give me a sense of peace. So any moment you can get a breather outside…take that opportunity. It refreshes the soul.

4. Filling Our Hearts With Gratitude – Each day there are many, many reasons to be grateful. Become more aware of those and thank God….even if it is something small. I often thank God for my cup of tea, for a warm bed, for being able to pay the bills, etc. Make this a habit and your life WILL change.

5. Surrendering to God’s Will – Each day gives us opportunities to accept things we’d rather not…or just to get out of our comfort zone. The more we accept these…. embrace them…the more peace we will have in our hearts. You can read this article on the Surrender Novena which is very helpful!

6. Freedom from Unnecessary Desires – Let us not compare ourselves to others…their talents, their looks, their relationships, their material possessions. The sooner we are happy with who we are, who are husbands are and the house and belongings we have, the more peace will reign in our homes. That doesn’t mean we don’t look to improve in areas we need to. But this should not be a constant theme running through our minds. (And I don’t mean improving hubby…that’s not wise…haha!)

So, let’s be careful what we fill our minds with. We must find a balance between staying informed and protecting our mental health.

Most importantly, let us return to a life where our thoughts and efforts are being used within our families (which supplies us with enough turbulence to handle without adding a barrage of the world’s and the Church’s turmoil.)

How can Our Lord still be alive in a world gone mad? Through the family.

We can please God by taking care of the duties at hand…by being aware of those around us and the needs they have.

We can restore peace in our souls more readily if we just attend to our home…bake that bread, say those prayers with the kids, change those diapers, make dinner, do the schooling…whatever it is. This, along with a striving to get closer to God…this will be what pleases Him.

 Father Peyton:

“A young girl’s ‘I obey’ had drawn heaven to earth. Fiat—whatever God wishes .. .

The world is very old again. God seems to be only here and there; sin and war everywhere in-between. What can I do?

What Mary did—obey! Obey God’s commandments; live up to the duties of my state in life. The world needs my day-by-day ‘Fiat.’ Mary’s was a foothold for God on earth. So is mine.“

“Since we had our children, our ideas have changed a little. We lived just for them. They were all our happiness. In short, nothing was too hard, and the world was no longer a burden for us. For me, our kids have been a great joy, so I wanted to have a lot of them, in order to raise them up to the sky”. -Saint Zélie Martin-Mother of St. Therese the Little Flower

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