If I make peace within myself, I can understand the heart of the other


If you ask what culture is, I could say in one word: harmony! If someone were to ask me what Scripture is, I would answer, “Harmony, sir!” That is, to always be in a position to maintain peace, because the ratio between justice and peace is two to eight. So, you do justice, and you gain two, but you lose eight. You make peace, you gain eight, but you lose two. So, peace is four times greater than justice. Only then can you make harmony. So, you must be a hero of harmony, a hero of peace, in any form. In this way, you can develop the discernment to be able to understand someone’s heart. Any person who has peace of mind has an incredible value in his soul and harmony in the unity in which he lives.

– How do we reach this much-desired peace in our days, in urban agglomerations?

– Yes, these things are very important. Well, peace means giving up your opinions, giving up your tastes, your sinful callings, or giving up making a gratuitous war, as someone says: “He told me, I told him, and I will tell him!”

– So it is not a simple inner peace?

– Sir, it is not rational to ask, nor rational to answer. This peace comes without explanation. The feeling of incredible joy, as in love. Why? Because, practically, you have nothing to do with anyone. My heart is free for others, so that I can make room for Christ the Savior to occupy it. Peace has come to you, that is, Christ has come into your heart, because you do not hate anyone. We set ourselves the highest ideal: love of enemies, salvation. It is not utopia, because Christ the Savior says: “This is possible!” Has anyone really tried to love their enemy? Or do we only know from Scripture that we should love, but do we hate each other? To truly bow down to love. At the level of the day, or of the whole life, you will not succeed in reaching great love. But God's grace helps you, and you will die loving your enemies, or at least not hating them. You are already in a position of salvation. To be a hero, you must sacrifice yourself continuously. What do I care if the other person gets upset? Let Christ not get upset!

Wherever you are, you must be with Christ, without agitation, with a very great peace of mind. I am glad, I am happy that I am a Christian, and I would like you to be too. Because they see your peace in you. Then, they will be consumed by their pleasures and will feel tired. Seeing that you are calm, He asks you: “Lord, why do you have this peace?” “Because I want Christ to live in my heart continuously!” That is, I have no enemies in my heart. Christ does not enter a heart occupied by enmity. And, because we hate, where is the heroism? So what, do you go to war to surrender to the enemy? The enemy kills you!

Fight from your Christian position, but without enmity! But you are allowed to defend yourself. Let our Christian position not be speculated as a weakness. For if we knew when the thief was coming – as the Savior says – we would not let him break into the house. We oppose, you do not just stretch out your hands... “Do not enter!”, but you fight with him. And he may fall. So you defend your values.


Father Arsenie Papacioc

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