Capstone Practicum
Peace
1) The heavenly aspiration of good
people everywhere has and always will be for peace in the world. We must never give up on achieving this goal.
But, President Joseph F. Smith taught, “There never can come to the world
that spirit of peace and love … until mankind will receive God’s truth and
God’s message … , and acknowledge his power and authority which is
divine.”
Quentin L. Cook, Personal Peace: The Reward of
Righteousness, April 2013
(quoting Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph F. Smith (1998), 400)
2) Where people
have that Spirit with them, we may expect harmony. The Spirit puts the
testimony of truth in our hearts, which unifies those who share that testimony.
The Spirit of God never generates contention (see 3 Ne. 11:29). It never
generates the feelings of distinctions between people which lead to strife (see
Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 13th ed. [1963], 131). It leads to
personal peace and a feeling of union with others. It unifies souls. A unified
family, a unified Church, and a world at peace depend on unified souls.
Henry B. Eyring – “That We May Be One”
Apr. 1998 General Conference
3) During this time of my
childhood I played in bombed-out houses and grew up with the ever-present
consequences of a lost war and the awareness that my own country had inflicted terrible
pain on many nations during the horrific World War II.
The good news that Jesus
Christ has made the perfect Atonement for mankind, redeeming all from the grave
and rewarding each individual according to his or her works, was the healing
power which brought hope and peace back into my life.
Whatever our challenges
in life may be, our burdens may become light if we not only believe in Christ,
but also in His ability and His power to cleanse and console our lives, and
accept His peace.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf – “The Global Church Blessed by the Voice of the
Prophets” Oct.2002 General Conference
4) In these times
of increasing uncertainty there is so much heartache, anguish, and suffering
throughout the world that could be avoided by understanding and applying truth.
For many, relief and happiness can come by understanding the relationship
between peace of conscience and peace of mind and by living the principles upon which
both of these blessings are founded.
God wants each of His children to enjoy the transcendent blessing of peace of conscience. A tranquil conscience invites freedom
from anguish, sorrow, guilt, shame, and self-condemnation. It provides a
foundation for happiness. It is a condition of immense worth, yet there are few
on earth that enjoy it. Why? Most often because the principles upon which peace of conscience is founded are either not understood
or not adequately followed.
Richard G. Scott – “Peace of Conscience
and Peace of Mind” Oct. 2004 General Conference
5) Like those who
were alive at the time of His mortal ministry, there are some among us who look
for physical peace and prosperity as signs of the
Savior’s wondrous power. We sometimes fail to understand that the everlasting peace Jesus promises is an inner peace,
born in faith, anchored by testimony, nurtured with love, and expressed through
continual obedience and repentance. It is a peace
of spirit that echoes through the heart and the soul. If one truly knows and
experiences this inner peace, there is no fear
from worldly disharmony or discord. One knows deep down inside that all is well
as far as the things that really matter are concerned.
As President Hinckley instructed the brethren
last night, there is no peace in sin. There may be
ease, popularity, fame, and even prosperity, but there is no peace. “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).
One cannot be at peace if one is living a life out
of harmony with revealed truth.
M. Russell Ballard – “The Peaceable Things of the
Kingdom” April 2002 General Conference
6) Once we have tasted the sweet fruit of God’s peace, we are
naturally inclined to share it with others. Francis of Assisi was known as the
“lover of creation” who lived most of his life ministering to the poor and the
needy who were around him—including the animals. The peace he found in his
service energized him and made him yearn to embrace others with it. He wrote:
Lord,
make me an instrument of thy peace;
Where
there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where
there is injury, pardon;
Where
there is doubt, faith;
Where
there is despair, hope;
Where
there is darkness, light;
And
where there is sadness, joy.
O
Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To
be consoled as to console;
To
be understood as to understand;
To
be loved as to love.
For
it is in giving that we receive;
It
is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
On more than one occasion, the Lord urged
His followers to be “peacemakers,” promising that such would “be called the
children of God” (Matt. 5:9). That concept is woven throughout the scriptures,
creating a patchwork of peace through parable and proclamation.
M. Russell Ballard – “The Peaceable Things of the
Kingdom” April 2002 General Conference
7) Each of us
should pursue the occupation of “peace.” But what
is peace, and how do we seek it?
Many think of peace as the absence of war.
Everyone wants that kind of peace. Songs celebrate
it, and bumper stickers proclaim it.
Many good people promote peace by opposing
war. They advocate laws or treaties to abolish war, to require disarmament, or
to reduce armed forces.
Those methods may reduce the likelihood or the costs of war. But
opposition to war cannot ensure peace, because peace is more than the absence of war.
For over fifty years, I have heard the leaders of this Church preach
that peace can only come through the gospel of Jesus
Christ. I am coming to understand why.
The peace the gospel brings is not just the
absence of war. It is the opposite of war.
Dallin H. Oaks – “World Peace” Apr.
1990 General Conference
8) If citizens do not have a basic goodness to govern their
actions toward one another, we can never achieve peace in the world. One
nation’s greed, hatred, or desire for power over another is simply a reflection
of the greeds, hatreds, and selfish desires of individuals within that nation.
Conversely, each citizen furthers the
cause of world peace when he or she keeps the commandments of God and lives at
peace with family and neighbors. Such citizens are living the prayer expressed
in the words of a popular song, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin
with me.” (Sy Miller and Jill Jackson, “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”)
Dallin H. Oaks – “World Peace” Apr.
1990 General Conference
9) In a world
where peace is such a universal quest, we
sometimes wonder why violence walks our streets, accounts of murder and
senseless killings fill the columns of our newspapers, and family quarrels and
disputes mar the sanctity of the home and smother the tranquility of so many
lives.
Perhaps we stray from the path which leads to peace
and find it necessary to pause, to ponder, and to reflect on the teachings of
the Prince of Peace and determine to incorporate
them in our thoughts and actions and to live a higher law, walk a more elevated
road, and be a better disciple of Christ. . .
Anger, hatred, and contention
are foes not easily subdued. These enemies inevitably leave in their
destructive wake tears of sorrow, the pain of conflict, and the shattered hopes
of what could have been. Their sphere of influence is not restricted to the battlefields
of war but can be observed altogether too frequently in the home, around the
hearth, and within the heart. So soon do many forget and so late do they
remember the counsel of the Lord: “There shall be no disputations among you, …
Thomas S. Monson – “The Path to Peace” April 1994
General Conference
10) Because
of the long history of hostility upon the earth, many feel that peace is beyond hope. I disagree. Peace
is possible. We can learn to love our fellow human beings throughout the world.
Whether they be Jewish, Islamic, or fellow Christians, whether Hindu, Buddhist,
or other, we can live together with mutual admiration and respect, without
forsaking our religious convictions. Things we have in common are greater than
are our differences. Peace is a prime priority
that pleads for our pursuit. Old Testament prophets held out hope and so should
we. The Psalmist said, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble.” “He maketh wars to
cease unto the end of the earth.”
Russell
M. Nelson – “Blessed Are the Peacemakers” Apr. 2002 General Conference
Peace
Peace
– “a prime priority that pleads for our pursuit.”
It isn’t just to sit around and strum a
lovely lute
And neither is it knowing that nobody’s
going to shoot.
It’s working hard in harmony to help
your fellow man.
If everybody does their part, their
piece of heaven’s plan,
Can you conceive this kind of
peace? I’m certain that you can!
There is no peace in wickedness and
never will there be
For people have an inner peace with a
conscience clear and free.
Where people have the Spirit, they will
live in harmony.
Peace is not alone the simple absence
of a war.
No!
Peace is quite the opposite of war and so much more.
The Gospel of the Savior is that peace
we’re looking for.
Peace is ‘love your neighbor’ but it’s
‘love yourself’ as well.
Believe in Christ, accept His peace and
then your heart will swell.
You say that you’re a Christian, well,
then live so folks can tell!
One day, the Lord will reign on earth,
a thousand years of peace.
I hope that I can see that day when
evil fashions cease.
Alas, right now, men’s wicked ways do
nothing but increase!
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