Peacefulness

Many a sidewalk cafe in Europe charges a little extra for a “view table.” Scores of gullible tourists actually pay the extra charge, even though every table on the sidewalk provides the same view--nothing but passersby hurrying along the walkway almost within arm’s reach.

There are countless people, not just gullible tourists, who are forever seeking the very best of everything that life has to offer. These unsettled souls never seem to experience peacefulness--which is a state of mind not to be confused with the peace described in the previous article. Peacefulness might be described as the ability to find an imperturbable satisfaction in almost any situation by a kind of ease of adaptation. This reflects and presupposes an ability to discern what is worth desiring, as distinguished from what are merely the useless items of life. St. Paul seemed to champion this simple trait: “I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:8).

Peacefulness is expressive of a serene trust in God as he provides in any given circumstance a design of his loving providence--a customized ambience for our specific needs, whether it be a situation of luxury or one of austerity. Our fluidity in adapting to such variegated environments is a simple exercise in the comforting virtue of trust in his providence as it relates to us personally.

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.