By Lindsay Schlegel

“Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” ~ Hebrews 12:14

The way St. Paul advises the Hebrews to “Strive for peace with all men” acknowledges that this isn’t easy. Some relationships are easy, effortless. Others—often those with the people closest to us—take more intention and prayer to navigate. All these relationships are important in our becoming holy; we need to be Christlike with everyone we encounter. Or at least, we need to try to be Christlike.

Striving for Holiness isn’t Optional

In the same breath, St. Paul reminds us that “no one will see the Lord” without reaching out and responding to others with peace, with the holiness that comes from cultivating virtues of patience, gentleness, and generosity through prayer and the sacraments. You can’t be kind to some and cold to others, he seems to be saying. At some point, most parents tell their children that they don’t have to like everyone, but they do have to be nice to everyone.

With greater maturity, this develops into finding peace with others, which begins with a personal relationship with Christ and openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to agree with others on everything. We don’t have to pretend relationships can’t be complicated. We also can’t hold on to anger, resentment, or fear.

Help for Holiness

The next line in this letter says, “See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God” (Heb 12:15), and that includes those of us striving for such peace and holiness. We have to desire peace and work towards holiness. We can’t meet God face to face without these.

God wants to help us. We only need to ask the help of the Paraclete, and He will teach us how to speak, in word and deed.

Prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit, and guide me to be peaceful and patient in every conversation I have today. Amen.

Call to Action:

Call to mind a relationship in which you don’t have peace. Make a sacrifice (or more than one!) today for the good of the other person involved.

© 2025 WINE — All Rights Reserved