Peace?

Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called the sons of God.

Happy are those who make peace,
For they will be known as sons of God.

You’re blessed when you can show people how to
Cooperate instead of compete or fight.
That’s when you discover who you really are,
And your place in God’s family.

Yesterday I spent some time at the World Trade Center(WTC) site.  It is difficult to believe that it has been ten years since 9/11.  The work there is ongoing from dawn to dusk - at least six days a week.  Two tall buildings are in various stages of construction.  Reflecting pools and the Memorial Plaza are more difficult to make out.  On Liberty Street (south boundary), there is a WTC Memorial, right next door to the FDNY Engine Company 10/Ladder Company 10; the tour guides are individuals who were directly affected by the events of 9/11 - survivors, relatives of the victims, rescuers, etc.  They have a very personal story to tell, and a vested interest in ensuring we remember those who lost their lives in that tragedy.

There is a buzz of activity surrounding the site and people everywhere - especially U.S. and international tourists.  There are lights, huge cranes, loud noises, people talking in a hundred languages, taxis honking, huge tour buses, and signs everywhere on the perimeter warning of piercing whistle blasts that signal blasting on the site.  There is hubbub, noise, distractions and constant activity in every direction.

Walk across Church Street (Trinity St./east boundary), and you will come to St. Paul’s Chapel.  The atmosphere here is completely different, even though it is directly across from the WTC.  The church graveyard is at the back of the church on Church Street, a solemn, dark, place of peace and quiet underneath a solid canopy of beautiful trees.  The front of the church (on Broadway), has scaffolding from porch to roof for repairs to the front facade.  Inside is a fully working church with one of the most profound memorials to 9/11 in the city.  The church was a triage center during the tragedy, as well as a retreat for the workers trying to save the living and find the missing.  There is a quality here that you will not find around the WTC or at the memorial - a deep peace that comes only from a direct relationship with the Creator of peace.

Peace is a scarce commodity in this hectic world we live in.  Our lives are mostly full of stress, not peace.  We scurry from one place to the next - always driven, always in a hurry.  Many people have no concept of slowing down and smelling the roses.  There is NO TIME!!  Jesus said, You are blessed if you live your life surrounded by a heavenly peace, and share that blessing with others.  In my youth, I doubt that I thought much about a peaceful life.  In my relative “old age,” after a lifetime of stress, I value peace above all else.