The Secret to True Peace This Advent (It's Not What You Think!) (Ken & Janelle)

Today is the third Monday of Advent, and we reflect on the virtue of peace in our Advent journey. Drawing inspiration from St. Alphonsus and St. Augustine, we explore how true peace isn't found in worldly comforts but through the Tranquility of Order—aligning our lives with God's will.

Transcript

Welcome back today is the third Monday of Advent and we continue going through St Alan's daily sermon sharing with you what stands out to us and why today we're going to talk a little bit about peace St Alphonsus says peace of the soul is of greater value than all the kingdoms of the world and what avails it to have dominion over the whole world without interior peace better is it to be the poorest peasant in the land and content than to be the Lord of the whole world and to live a discontented life but who can give this peace the world oh no peace is a blessing that is obtained only from God so every morning We Gather upstairs with our children the seven of them and we have morning prayer and part of that morning prayer is that we go around the circle and our children are welcomed to offer an intention and one of the intentions that comes up every day is what more peace in our home and it's not Ken or I who say it it's one of our children sometimes I wonder is it because we are so um disagreeable sometimes I I don't know so our children are praying for peace which I have to say is a beautiful thing um they're not praying for a new Xbox they're not praying for new toys they're not praying for like temporary things which I which is a blessing God has given a couple of them special Grace to look inwardly and they just they want more peace mhm because peace is something the world locks right now how peaceful are people today a recent survey of 2,000 Americans found that only 21% have experienced true Comfort a feeling of complete at ease in the past 24 hours on average people feel comfortable for just a third of the day about 8 hours the top sources of comfort included taking a nap which is 47% walking outside which was 41% and enjoying a spa day which was 36% in cold weather a hot bath at 34% and setting their home to a cozy 72° fahit which was 25% also helped create a sense of relaxation so is that how you experience P said spa day I don't think I've ever had I don't know a spa day I don't what a spotty I don't know I don't know either put cucumbers on your eyes I'm what this uh survey gets to is it almost equates comfort with peace they're not the same thing I mean you can have physical comfort and really not be at peace it's something to remember and sometimes we get confused by that we think that well if I am physically comfortable then I will be at peace you know from experience that's not true uh but many people believe this and they also think sort of the opposite if my life is uncomfortable I cannot experience peace MH that's a real lie of the devil because if he can get us to believe that to be true then what are we going to spend our whole life on trying to find physical comfort in a world where there is always going to be suffering and that very thing that we want which is peace we will never get mhm sounds diabolical to me peace comes from what St Augustine has a beautiful uh definition peace is the Tranquility of order notice that his definition of Peace isn't that peace is the absence of conflict that's another lie sometimes in order to experience peace from having things in order to get to having order you need to have some conflict in order to rearrange things and I'll give you an example of interior piece when a person experiences a vice called intemperance what is that uh it's like when they become they act like a unruly child when they uh they're always seeking their own way they don't know how to not go too far a person in in Temperance can't control their passions in fact their passions control them they become a slave to their passions and what are the passions doing do they want to be satisfied um and you can never get it enough because the passions always want more so when a person is experiencing intemperance they they don't have peace they don't have peace so how do you get peace you have to exercise The Virtue the opposing virtue which is temperance which requires self-control it requires then going to those desires that are out of control and disciplining them reigning them in uh holding them back in other words you have to do conflict to those passions in order to exercise Temperance and once you continually and habitually ring those passions in and exercise discipline and exercise self-control which is not comfortable by the way sometimes to do that but if you continue to do that what happens then you start acquiring the virtue of temperance and once you've acquired the virtue of temperance what happens you have peace because interiorly you have now ordered yourself according to what God wants right order so peace is a Tranquility of order you acquire Temperance now you have peace because once you've acquired that virtue you don't have to fight against those unruly desires because you've beat them through self-discipline by God's grace and as a result you have peace and you can tell when you have acquired a virtue when it comes with ease when the virtue of temperance and you're exercising it doesn't come with ease it means that well you still have some work to do because once you've perfected a virtue it comes with ease it comes easily comes often you don't have to fight for it and doesn't that sound like a life of Peace mhm and that's what it is that's why St Augustine says peace is the Tranquility of order I find it interesting because when you're around somebody who isn't peaceful often you can kind of pick up on it like you can tell that they're just agitated yes mhm and when you around a person who hasn't acquired the virtues there you also don't kind of feel safe around them it's like a ticking Time Bomb yeah it is you're and sometimes I am that ticking time BB well yes I mean you can see I mean okay exposing the hinski family here you know when you get into a bad mood the kids kind of tell yeah and so they tiptoe around you that's not the kind of D I want to be I need more Temperance sometimes so I've just noticed even in my own life like where I'm really lacking peace um something that's really been helping me is this podcast that I really love to listen to is called Catholic momcom and I know I've shared this with you before so it's Catholic momcom like c a l m because as mothers I find or for myself especially I find like I lack a lot of calmness and and I think calmness comes from peace because there can be chaos going around you but you can still have peace and and I've noticed that in some people like they can be going through some real tragedies or difficulties in their lives and yet they'll say like you know I there's a there's a real peace here even though everything around me is so chaotic and so anyhow so I just for any of you moms out there if you're looking for some help Catholic momcom she's really great and the person who uh perfected this in their life is Mary Our Lady Queen of Peace is there a theme Here everything in Mary's life was rightly ordered and so we give her the title that is say Queen of Peace So if you're struggling you know with being calm you can go to our lady and ask her intercession I know I kind of wanted I want to be like Mary's Shadow and just like see like how did she proceed throughout her day how did she respond how did she act you know how did she prepare her meals like what does it look like to embody all the [Music] virtues okay let's uh let's end with a prayer let us pray oh my Lord and my God my all I know that you alone can make me contented in this life and in the next but I will not love you for my own contentment I will love you to content Your Divine heart I wish this to be my peace my only satisfaction during my whole life to unite my will to your holy will even should I have to suffer pain in order to do this you are my God I am your creature amen