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Views from the Choir Loft

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · July 4, 2013

AINT THOMAS AQUINAS interprets the Lord’s words “Blessed are the clean of heart” in terms of perfection within oneself, as a necessary disposition to heavenly beatitude (cf. Summa Ia-IIae, Question 69); and he interprets “Blessed are the peacemakers” in terms of perfection towards others, since the work proper to peace is the uniting or harmonizing of what is separated or discordant in human relationships.

Having a clean heart is a prerequisite to being a peacemaker, since knowing what peace truly consists in follows from having a well-ordered or “peaceful” soul. Aristotle makes the same point in the Nicomachean Ethics, where he discusses the wicked man who is at odds with himself, who is fragmented and restless in his consciousness, as opposed to the virtuous man who is at peace—not, mind you, smug or self-satisfied, since he goads himself on to do virtuous deeds (the greater the better); but rather, with the peace of self-possession that comes from self-mastery and habitually cleaving to the good.

Peace among men cannot come from hearts that are not at peace. Relationships of justice among men cannot arise as long as hearts are possessed of unjust desires and ambitions. “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you,” says the Lord. One can only promote the peace of another—peace with another and among others—if one first loves the other’s good. Peace demands a good willed for the neighbor for his sake, and the good of another can only be loved by one whose heart is already attracted to the good in itself—that is, by one whose heart is pure. As Kierkegaard once wisely said, “Purity of heart is to will one thing.” Clarity of the heart’s “eye” is what makes it possible to see how great a good peace really is and to know how to foster it; cleanness of heart is the condition of both insight and foresight.

“My peace I leave with you: not as the world gives do I give to you.” Peace of soul is something only God can give us, and without it, we are lost. Indeed, without the peace that comes from resting in God’s will, much of what we do will become harmful to us, as we injure ourselves with our own “good intentions.” It is not enough to do something generically good. We seek to do what God wills, in the manner God wills, and because He wills it: quod Deus vult, quomodo Deus vult, et quia Deus vult.

For this reason, among others, a college that is truly Catholic must pay attention to the spiritual formation of its students. They are not disembodied intellects who are taught mere conceptual doctrines, whether in theology or mathematics or any other discipline; nor are they brute animals who climb the heights to forage and fight like mountain goats. A Catholic student is, first and foremost, an adopted son of God, whose soul needs grace as a plant needs sunlight and moisture to grow, as an animal need fresh air to breathe. A Catholic college allows, beckons, beseeches Holy Mother Church, in the person of her sacred ministers, to nourish students’ souls with the Bread of Angels, to heal their hearts with the absolving balm of Confession, to guide their steps with the reflected light of spiritual direction, to surround them with all the great and small reminders of our true origin and destiny, our Alpha and Omega. She makes this an explicit goal of her institutional life and culture.

True, a college as such exists to offer an academic curriculum. A Catholic college, however, must do more, and joyfully does more: it is not one-dimensional but three-dimensional. It offers a spiritual training ground in which the immediate goal of academic formation, of cultivating intellectual virtues, comes together with ongoing formation in and exercise of the moral and theological virtues. This tightly-knit threefold cord of theological virtue, intellectual virtue, and moral virtue is what binds into unity the many elements of a Catholic’s daily life, and in a special way, a student’s life. What a joy it is to see this unity emerge, year by year, as our students drink in peace from the Lord’s glorious wounds and seek to be peacemakers in a wounded world.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Yet, with all its advantages, the new Missal was published as if it were a work put together by professors, not a phase in a continual growth process. Such a thing never happened before. It is absolutely contrary to the laws of liturgical growth, and it has resulted in the nonsensical notion that Trent and Pius V had “produced” a Missal four hundred years ago.

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (1986)

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