Peace Within and Justice Around me
To Be at Peace With Oneself and using that to foster peace in our families,
communities, church, country and the world: Group Study
“Contemplation and Action for Peace’”
Finding Inner Peace for a Deeper Purpose
Are you feeling a call for more than just external achievement? Do the challenges of our families, communities, and the world leave you searching for a more profound and sustainable peace?
Join us as we explore movements towards authentic inner peace, and fostering a “Peace Within Me” to become more compassionate, less judgmental, and more effectively able to contribute to peace…
Peace in our families through deeper understanding and forgiveness.
Peace in our communities by fostering true solidarity and belonging.
Peace in our Church by embracing unity amidst diversity.
Peace in our country by working together to achieve common good.
Peace and the world by working for justice from a place of wisdom and love, not merely reaction.
Join us in our Assisi Center at 7pm-8:30pm on the new dates listed for a
discussion Sign-up at this link here….
Between sessions please continue the breathing exercises and inner reflection to build inner peace. Peace within us is THE FOUNDATION for peace in our families, community, country and the world.
More information about Peace readings and resources:
Peace Within Me <> Justice Within Me
>Inner peace arises when we live in right relationship with God, ourselves, and others. That means confronting our own sin, healing past wounds, and embracing integrity.
> Without justice (self-honesty, repentance, moral alignment), we experience inner conflict.
> A person who lies or harbors resentment cannot experience full peace until they make things right.
Recommended Resources:
Fr. Jacques Philippe’s Interior Freedom
https://scepterpublishers.org/pages/podcast
Enjoy these 14 min podcasts for preparing your heart to join in our peace sessions.
Podcasts…from Scepter Publishers. . https://scepterpublishers.org/pages/podcast
Including Interior Freedom – Made for Freedom
Key Questions:
>What disrupts my inner peace most often?
>How does my relationship with God affect my sense of peace?
>Am I honest with myself and living in integrity?
>How do prayer, silence, or the sacraments restore peace in my heart?
>What role does forgiveness—of myself or others—play in healing?
Peace in My Family <> Justice in My Family
>A peaceful home requires fair treatment of each member—children heard, elders respected, roles shared with equity.
>Justice in the family means reconciliation, forgiveness, and ensuring no one dominates or is neglected.
>A peaceful household isn’t just quiet—it’s one where each person is valued and seen.
Recommended Resources:
>FAMILIARIS CONSORTIO OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio.pdf
Key Questions:
>Are there unresolved tensions or hurts in my family that need attention?
>How do we practice love and fairness in everyday family life?
>How can I be a peacemaker without becoming passive or avoiding conflict?
>What spiritual or practical tools can strengthen peace at home?
>Do we make room for prayer, shared meals, or Sabbath time together?
Peace in My Community <> Justice in My Community
>Communities flourish when there is fairness—access to housing, education, healthcare, and safety for all.
>Peace is impossible when some are oppressed, ignored, or denied dignity.
>A neighborhood where violence and poverty persist cannot be at peace until those causes are addressed.
Recommended Resources:
Here are the suggested readings for the next group discussion on Peace in our Community. Plan to join us for the next session.
In today’s world where communities often feel divided and strained, learning about peace in our communities is more important than ever. Peace begins in our hearts but grows when we act with compassion, forgiveness, and respect toward those around us. By exploring the teachings of faith, the wisdom of leaders like Desmond Tutu, and the reflections of thinkers like Fr. Jacques Philippe and Jean Vanier, we discover how everyday actions can foster understanding, reconciliation, and shared flourishing. We invite you to join us for a group discussion on September 15 in the Assisi Center, where together we can reflect on these ideas and discover practical ways to bring God’s peace into our neighborhoods and communities.
Suggested readings:
1. Fr. Jacques Philippe’s The Eight Doors of the Kingdom: Meditations on the Beatitudes – available on scepterpublishers.org
This is is one of Fr. Jacques Philippe’s most beautiful spiritual works. He presents the Beatitudes not as abstract ideals but as practical, lived paths to happiness and holiness. Each “door” represents a way to imitate Christ and to grow in inner freedom, peace, and love. He suggests, that rather than thinking of these as rules, they could be considered invitations into a new way of seeing life and living in community.
2. Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s writings on Ubuntu and the possibility of hope – videos on YouTube and articles available online including willbuckingham.com
Archbishop Tutu’s work provides a powerful model for building peace in our communities, aligned with Catholic teaching. He showed that true peace cannot exist without justice, advocating for fairness, equality, and the protection of human dignity. Through his leadership of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he demonstrated that forgiveness and reconciliation are essential for healing broken relationships and restoring communal harmony. Grounded in the African principle of Ubuntu—“I am because we are”—Tutu emphasized that our humanity is realized through care for one another, mutual respect, and solidarity. His vision reminds us that peace in our families, parishes, and neighborhoods flows from both justice and love, reflecting the Gospel call to see Christ in every person and to work together for the common good. In this way, our shared humanity becomes a foundation for authentic reconciliation, harmony, and the peace that Christ calls us to embody.
Key Questions:
>How can my community foster a culture of peace?
>Who in my community is marginalized or unseen—and how can I respond?
>Are there local injustices I’m ignoring or accepting as “normal”?
>What would it look like to bring peace to my neighborhood or workplace?
>Do I know my neighbors’ needs and gifts?
Peace in My Church <> Justice in My Church
>The Church is called to be both a spiritual sanctuary and a witness to justice.
>This includes addressing inequality within the parish (e.g., welcoming the poor, diverse cultures) and advocating justice beyond its walls.
>A peaceful parish must also be just in leadership, finances, and inclusion.
Recommended Resources:
1. Fr. Jacques Philippe’s The Eight Doors of the Kingdom shows that peace within the Church is best built by living the Beatitudes in daily life. Humility and poverty of spirit prevent rivalry, meekness allows dialogue instead of hostility, and mercy heals wounds of division. Hungering for justice grounds unity in truth, while purity of heart removes hidden agendas and builds trust. Above all, the Beatitude of peacemaking calls believers to actively reconcile, restore communion, and create harmony in diversity. Fr. Philippe’s core message is that real peace in the Church will not come from strategies or programs but from holiness—ordinary Christians, clergy and laity alike, embodying the Beatitudes together.
2. Healing from the ground up by William T. Cavanaugh
What kind of church do you dream of?”
This was the question to which Pope Francis was responding when he famously likened the church—at least the church he would like to see—to a field hospital.
“I see clearly,” Francis said, “that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. Heal the wounds. And you have to start from the ground up.”
Optional Reading:
3. Silent Schism by Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, and Sister Cynthia Nienhaus, CSA
Silent Schism explores an often unspoken reality in the Catholic Church, but it refuses despair. The path to healing, the authors say, lies in listening, mercy, and a return to the Gospel essentials. They suggest that the Church focus less on tradition and more on being Christ’s healing presence in the world.
Key Questions:
>Are all people truly welcome in our Church community?
>Does our parish reflect the diversity of our city or region?
>Are conflicts in our Church handled with humility and love?
>Do we speak up when we witness injustice or exclusion in the Church?
>How does the Eucharist shape how we live out peace and justice?
Peace in My Country <> Justice in My Country
>National peace is not merely the absence of extremism—it requires social justice:
fair laws, equal rights, economic equity.
>Unjust systems (racism, corruption, exclusion) breed unrest and division.
>True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.
Recommended Resources:
Key Questions:
>Do I see the connection between my faith and civic responsibility?
>What injustices in my country conflict with Catholic social teaching?
>Am I informed about laws or policies that affect the vulnerable?
>How do I balance patriotism with Gospel values?
>Can I engage in political or social dialogue with charity and truth?
Peace in the World <> Justice in the World
>Global peace requires fair treatment of all nations, cultures, and
peoples—sharing resources, respecting sovereignty, and honoring human rights.
>Peace treaties without justice often collapse.
>Sustainable peace in conflict zones comes only when root injustices are addressed.
Recommended Resources:
Caritas in veritate BENEDICT XVI
https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate.html
Key Questions:
>What global issues break my heart—and how can I respond as a Catholic Christian?
>Do I pray for peace in places of war and crisis?
>How are my consumption habits connected to global injustice?
>What can I learn from Catholics or others working for peace globally?
>Do I see every person—regardless of nationality—as made in God’s image?