John Locke reminds us that the Latin rebellare means to “bring back again the state of war.” War, as Locke usefully defines it, is a state that ensues “when someone declares by word or action,” “as a matter of calm settled design,” “that he intends to end another man’s life,” or to “get another manContinue reading “The Real Rebels”
Tag Archives: peace
Christmas Cheer
And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:5 Traditionally, Christmas is a season of warmth and light. Even as the northern hemisphere reaches its darkest days, and the arctic blasts of January approach, the world sparkles with tinsel and smiles, and ubiquitous signs of universal good cheer. AtContinue reading “Christmas Cheer”
Lusting Against the Flesh
Lust is an ugly thing. The “works of the flesh,” which “lusts against the spirit,” include such miserable misbehaviors as “fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, contentions, emulations, quarrels, dissensions, sects, envies, murders, drunkenness, reveling,” and others of a like nature (Gal. 5:17-21). All of which, we might note, have been exceptionally popular fromContinue reading “Lusting Against the Flesh”
The Soul’s Only Hope
Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. Matthew 10:34 St. Augustine reminds us that true peace is not the absence of conflict, but the tranquility of order. So long as disorder remains in the world—that is, so long as sin governs souls—peaceContinue reading “The Soul’s Only Hope”
Fighting for Peace
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9 As Father Kirby reminds us, St. Augustine defined peace as the “tranquility of order.” In its proper place, including right relations with other creatures, every being is good. Only the disorder produced by ripping a thing out of its properContinue reading “Fighting for Peace”
Unity in Truth
And they healed the breach of the daughter of my people disgracefully, saying: Peace, peace: and there was no peace. Jeremias 6:14 Christ warns us that not everyone who calls him Lord means what he says (Mt. 7:21). Likewise, it is easy to discount calls for unity when issued by men who betray their ownContinue reading “Unity in Truth”
Finding the Peace of God
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 Peace, according to Augustine, is the tranquility of order: for the disturbance of order is the destruction of peace. This tranquility of order is considered from three aspects: first, insofar as it exists in the principleContinue reading “Finding the Peace of God”
"His Tongue shall Speak Judgment" 