14. What is peace?

“The true and solid Peace of nations can consist, not in equality of arms, but in mutual trust alone.” Pope John XXIII, Peace on Earth (1963) 113.
“Peace is not merely the absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of a balance of power between enemies; nor is it brought about by dictatorship. Instead, it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice. Peace results from that order structured into human society by its divine Founder, and actualized by men as they thirst after ever greater justice.” Vatican II, Church in the Modern World (1965) 78.
“Peace can refer to an individual’s sense of well-being or security, or it can mean the cessation of armed hostility, producing an atmosphere in which nations can relate to each other and settle conflicts without resorting to the use of arms. For men and women of faith, peace will imply a right relationship with God, which entails forgiveness, reconciliation, and union.” U.S. Bishops, The Challenge of Peace (1983 ) 27.
“Peace is above all a state of mind.” Pope Paul VI, World Day of Peace Message (1973).

Reflections on peace.
a) What is wrong with each of the following statements:
–Peace consists in equality of arms.
–Peace is the absence of war.
–Peace is the calm that prevails in a dictatorship.
b) Explain what each of the following means:
–Peace consists in mutual trust.
–Peace is an enterprise of justice.
–Peace is a state of mind.
c) What does it mean to say that peace implies a right relationship with God?