Why I Wrote About Peace

an excerpt from my new book

Below is an excerpt from my new book, “Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads Us to Healing and Wholeness,” from Brazos Press. To be honest, this tiny sliver of the introduction was written in a much later draft of the full manuscript at the encouragement of my wife. Alli pushed me to dig a bit deeper.

I’m glad she did. Because already, just two weeks into this book’s life, this small section below has resonated with readers. I’ve gotten emails and text message and phone calls — “That bit about fighting your anxiety, Eric, or, rather, not fighting it…that bit really hit home.” And so, I share it with you, hoping that it might offer some insight, some help, some peace.

And perhaps if you like this small sliver, you’ll pick up a copy of the full thing! You can get it wherever books are sold: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the publisher, and so on. And if you already have a copy, please leave a review! Those five little stars go a long way.

Photo by Sidney M. on Unsplash

Why did I feel the need to write this book—and why now? I’ve long been intrigued by peace studies. I loved the opportunity I had to collaborate with professional peace builders when I worked at Catholic Relief Services, an international humanitarian and development agency. I studied peacebuilding in graduate school and wrote about the role of faith-based actors. I wanted to be a peacebuilder. I wanted that line on my resume.

Why? Quite simply, it’s an important, compelling job. And it’s just cool: negotiating deals that prevent conflict or end war, that reconcile enemies and bridge opposing perspectives. I wanted to do that. In many ways, I still do.

After years of failing to achieve this goal, I finally realized something: We’re all called to this work, whether or not it pays our bills. The call to peace is there for each of us; it’s just up to us to answer in our unique contexts.

Look at the world: wars hot and cold in countless countries; gang violence in city streets the world over; headlines that report division, dissolution, and discontent in communities near and far. We need peace—and we need it now.

But it wasn’t a series of news reports that inspired this book; it was the discovery that I lacked peace. Anger, anxiety, frustration, and jealousy—these are emotions that rob me of peace, that turn me against my family and friends. I realized that if these emotions have such power over me, then what’s true for me is likely true for others. If we’re called to the work of peace but haven’t properly examined our own instances of internal unpeace, then can peace anywhere else truly be achieved? How, then, to approach these wayward emotions?

I’ve heard sermons that insist the answer lies in waging spiritual warfare against the parts of ourselves that we dislike: anxiety, jealousy, fear, and so on. We should attack these parts and drive them out. But I don’t think that can be the answer—certainly not if we’re hoping to achieve peace. How can self-inflicted violence nurture in us a spirit of peace?

Anyone who has taken this route likely knows that when we try to destroy a part of ourselves that we dislike, it reappears somewhere down the road. We are who we are; our parts are here to stay. Rather than wage war against them, I believe it’s better to befriend them. Understand them. Repair and restore and integrate them. Turn to yourself in peace, not conflict.

Anxiety in my life can cause a lot of harm. It distracts me from the present, clouds my mind and occasionally my judgment. But that same anxious instinct has often reminded me about a forgotten task, ensured the doors were locked at night, and double-checked that my girls have their lunches packed. I don’t want to destroy my anxiety; I don’t want to chase it away. I want to befriend it, understand it, make it whole.

That’s where I begin in the writing of this book, from an inner place that needs peace. Violence is not the answer; it only begets more violence. I don’t want to become trapped in an ongoing cycle of “fighting” my anxiety. And I don’t want that for you either—whatever your own struggle. I believe that finding peace within is the only way we can ever find peace outside ourselves: among our family, community, nation, and world.

Want to read more? We published another excerpt over at Jesuits.org. Click here!

And another thing:

• Michael J O'Connell
  over at Busted Halo has curated a delightful collection of reactions to the election of Pope Leo XIV, featuring legendary spiritual writers like
  Alli Bobzien
  ,
  Christine Marie Eberle
  ,
  Allison Beyer
  ,
  Catherine Anne Sullivan
  ,
  John D.
  and more! (I also contributed.) You can read the full series in two parts: Part 1 | Part 2

• I also wrote about compassionate listening over at IgnatianSpirituality.com. Give it a read.