A Practical Guide to Peacemaking
By John Graveline, Director of Parish Life
April 19, 2026
“On the evening of that first day of the week . . . Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’”
John 20:19-21
A Model of Diologue and Peacemaking
This year, the worldwide Catholic Church is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was a soldier who dreamt of glory but became a prisoner of war and became very ill. After this traumatizing experience, Francis had an experience of the crucified and risen Christ at San Damiano. Francis heard Jesus tell him, “Repair my house which is falling into ruin.” Francis gave away all his possessions and followed Jesus in a most radical manner, inspiring Christian disciples for almost a millennium.
In 1219, at the height of the Fifth Crusade, Francis began a perilous journey with one of his friars to seek audience with Sultan Malik el-Kamil, the ruler of Egypt and nephew of the famous Muslim leader Saladin. Francis’ intention was to preach the Gospel to the Sultan, thus bringing about a peaceful end to the armed conflict. He went behind “enemy lines,” and was for a second time in his life taken as a prisoner of war. He was beaten and brought before the Sultan. Francis wished him peace and shared the Gospel message. The Sultan did not covert to Christianity, but he was so impressed by Francis’ humility and courage that the Sultan asked him to stay for a few days in his court where they discussed their shared reverence for God. This moment from the life of St. Francis calls to mind a different Francis. In 2019, Pope Francis met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. Together, they signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. On the liturgical memorial of St. Francis in 2020, Pope Francis released a worldwide letter On Fraternity and Social Friendship to all people of good will. At the beginning of his letter, Pope Francis recalled that, when St. Francis met with the Sultan, he “did not wage a war of words aimed at imposing doctrines; he simply spread the love of God. He understood that ‘God is love and those who abide in love abide in God.’ . . . Francis was able to welcome true peace into his heart and free himself from the desire to wield power over others.” Thus, St. Francis is a great model of dialogue and peacemaking.
“[Jesus said,] ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’”
John 14:27
What is Shalom?
What is this peace of Christ Jesus that is different from the world’s peace? The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. Deeper than mere lack of hatred and violence, shalom connotes wholeness, completeness, restoration, and well-being. As the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church states, “In biblical revelation, peace is much more than the simple absence of war; it represents the fullness of life.” (no. 489) It also states that peace is the fruit of social justice (all creation and people living in right relationship) and of fraternal love (the choice to put the good of others and the common good above our own self-interests). Peace is a recognition of the integrity of the whole of creation and the will to live in right relationship with all people and all of creation.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Matthew 5:9
Peacemaking Begins with Prayer
At this moment of history, Pope Leo and Bishop Gruss have asked us to be peacemakers. How can we do this, especially since the problems and tensions of our world seem so far out of our control? I would suggest two courses of action. “First and foremost, peace should rule the human heart. The way to strengthen peace is through tireless prayer for peace, as well as through the cooperation of Christians with those who sincerely desire to preserve peace.” (Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, no. 988) We begin with prayer, humbly recognizing that the selfishness, injustice, pride, and envy that stokes the flames of hatred, war, and violence are primarily sicknesses of the human heart. We pray to let Christ’s love reign in our own hearts first. As the old song said, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me!” Pope Leo gave us the example and invitation last weekend, hosting a worldwide vigil for peace at the Vatican. Secondly, we are called to commit ourselves in our homes and society to seek non-violent solutions to our problems through the dialogue that is the fruit of the recognition that we are all fundamentally one the same side, all of us and each of us beloved daughters and sons of God. “Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word ‘dialogue.’ If we want to encounter and help one another, we have to dialogue.” (Pope Francis, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, no. 198) Dialogue is the way that we challenge and unmask our opinions, discover the connectedness of people and creation, and walk together toward the common good. Dialogue begins with listening without prejudice, seeking first to understand rather than to be understood (as eloquently expressed in the Peace Prayer attributed to St. Francis).
The peace offered to the disciples by Jesus on the night of his resurrection can be ours, in our heart and in our world. It is the fruit of prayer, of social justice, and of love. May we open our hearts to receive God’s peace (shalom), letting it shape our lives, our households, our community and nation, and our world—bringing an end to divisions, violence, and wars.
John