{"id":955,"date":"2013-12-14T21:01:47","date_gmt":"2013-12-14T21:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=955"},"modified":"2013-12-08T21:19:03","modified_gmt":"2013-12-08T21:19:03","slug":"active-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/12\/active-peace.html","title":{"rendered":"Active Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We’re almost halfway through Advent, nearly two weeks away from once again welcoming the Prince of Peace.<\/p>\n

How is your peace?<\/p>\n

Are you frazzled from all the activity of the Season, yet? Feeling buffeted by family squabbles that have a way of erupting at this time of year?<\/p>\n

Are you struggling, waging a war of resources (time, money,health) amid the demands of December?<\/p>\n

Are you clinging to the last shred of hope and light while feeling pulled away from anchors of faith, comfort, and joy?<\/p>\n

This month can be filled with many blessings, but it can also challenge our fragile spirits in myriad ways, especially when it comes to peace of mind and heart.<\/p>\n

All the more reason to revisit what peace is and where it resides within you, within me. All the more reason to take steps to nurture it, yes, even as winter winds, both personal and meteorological, batter against our “house,” our soul.<\/p>\n

By His life, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, shows us the way. Humble, sure, ready to take time to be alone and to pray, Jesus lived active peace for himself and others. He didn’t wait until all storms blew over, nor did he rage against them or cower. He firmly insisted they “be still,” and remained close to the Father in faith and in prayer before, during and after.<\/p>\n

Peace grows in the stillness, but we have to insist on that stillness to grow peace. This active way of cultivating that which strengthens us in the face of life’s storms is helpful when we feel most helpless and supportive when we feel least supported.<\/p>\n

Active peace. Not waiting for things to settle, but being firm for peace\u00a0within us\u00a0now<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>acting for peace around us\u00a0now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Welcoming the Prince of Peace into our world\u00a0now.<\/em><\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re almost halfway through Advent, nearly two weeks away from once again welcoming the Prince of Peace. How is your peace? Are you frazzled from all the activity of the Season, yet? Feeling buffeted by family squabbles that have a way of erupting at this time of year? 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":956,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/955\/revisions\/956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}