89. It is not easy to “make” this evangelical peace, which excludes no one but embraces even those who are a bit odd, troublesome or difficult, demanding, different, beaten down by life or simply uninterested.
Given the state of incivility in the US, definitely not easy today. Pope Francis suggests it requires skills hard to come by or develop. Leadership needed: good abilities, plus that good example.
It is hard work; it calls for great openness of mind and heart, since it is not about creating “a consensus on paper or a transient peace for a contented minority”, [Evangelii Gaudium 218] or a project “by a few for the few”. [Ibid. 239] Nor can it attempt to ignore or disregard conflict; instead, it must “face conflict head on, resolve it and make it a link in the chain of a new process”. [Ibid. 227] We need to be artisans of peace, for building peace is a craft that demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity and skill.
Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness.
You can check the full document Gaudete et Exsultate on the Vatican website.
