Communication with Visitors* Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us! September 1 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, How are you? Here is some thought to share at the beginning of the school term with regards to September 11 which occurred about a year ago. Peace and violence are opposites. So where there is peace there is no violence and where is no violence, peace. St. Augustine in his City of God has defined peace in one place as the tranquility of order. Violence destroys this tranquility, so eliminating order and ruining peace. Peace returns by the elimination of violence. This type of peace is in the natural order of things. But there is a higher peace. This higher peace St. Augustine describes in this same City of God as follows: ordered obedience guided by faith under God's eternal law. We note the terms. First, ordered obedience that is the subjection of the emotions, feelings and passions to the control of reason; second, guided by faith, that is, reason made subject to the rule of faith; under God's eternal law, that is subject to what is revealed to us in the gift of faith namely God's eternal law. This is the peace that obtains in the City of God a peace subsuming under its direction the peace which should obtain in the earthly city. One purpose in all education should be to set out ways of living and manners of acting which enable men and women to live in peace with one another in this world and for the next. Michael Lapierre, S.J. * Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J., and the editor John Cheng are currently taking part in this column. Besides September, Fr. Lapierre will be doing also October and November this year. The background hymn is a certain version of "O Salutaris Hostia". Thank you. The latter is alive and well. He needs this time to complete an important work of evangelization. Alleluia!
September 1
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
How are you? Here is some thought to share at the beginning of the school term with regards to September 11 which occurred about a year ago.
Peace and violence are opposites. So where there is peace there is no violence and where is no violence, peace. St. Augustine in his City of God has defined peace in one place as the tranquility of order. Violence destroys this tranquility, so eliminating order and ruining peace. Peace returns by the elimination of violence. This type of peace is in the natural order of things. But there is a higher peace. This higher peace St. Augustine describes in this same City of God as follows: ordered obedience guided by faith under God's eternal law.
We note the terms. First, ordered obedience that is the subjection of the emotions, feelings and passions to the control of reason; second, guided by faith, that is, reason made subject to the rule of faith; under God's eternal law, that is subject to what is revealed to us in the gift of faith namely God's eternal law. This is the peace that obtains in the City of God a peace subsuming under its direction the peace which should obtain in the earthly city. One purpose in all education should be to set out ways of living and manners of acting which enable men and women to live in peace with one another in this world and for the next.
Michael Lapierre, S.J.
* Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J., and the editor John Cheng are currently taking part in this column. Besides September, Fr. Lapierre will be doing also October and November this year. The background hymn is a certain version of "O Salutaris Hostia". Thank you. The latter is alive and well. He needs this time to complete an important work of evangelization. Alleluia!