Making Peace is Personal, Yet Simple

“Peace begins with a smile,” declared Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a woman who understood that the grandest endeavors of the heart often start with the smallest of gestures. We have recently witnessed an event that demands our attention and gratitude: the historic move toward peace between Gaza and Israel. This moment, where diplomacy and courage overcome the terrible logic of conflict, is truly a welcome sign. We must praise the grace that worked behind the scenes and be profoundly grateful for the diplomacy shown by President Trump and the involved leadership.

Regardless of our political leanings, anyone seeking truth must acknowledge that the stopping of the killing of any human being—be they innocent child, grieving parent, or weary soldier—is unequivocally a good thing. When gratitude is due, it must be acknowledged, and for the cessation of suffering, our thanks must be unrestrained. Rupi Kaur, a contemporary poet and thinker, reminds us of the power of consistent, quiet bravery, noting, "It's the steady, small, and necessary acts of bravery that change the world." This bravery belongs not only to those at the negotiating table but to every soul who chooses dialogue over despair, a smile over political ideology.

This profound, macro effort to establish peace is beautifully mirrored in the easiest, most accessible act available to us: The Smile. It takes little effort to offer one, yet it is simple, easy, and entirely non-challenging. Why not try that more often? The old tongue twister contains a beautiful truth: "Smile a while, while you smile, another smiles, and miles and miles there go miles of smiles."

The smile is the simplest currency of goodwill, opening doors that formal treaties cannot touch. No faith affiliation, no disagreement, and no level of anger should stop us from offering this basic sign of human connection. The smile is, in essence, a silent greeting of peace. As Jesus said, "When you enter a house, greet them with peace." That ancient blessing is simply the gist of the smile—a moment of intentional, outward-facing peace. The contemporary poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama suggests, "The truest peace is the simplest. It is the peace of coming back to yourself."

Peace, therefore, is not only a geopolitical triumph but a daily, minute-by-minute commitment. We cannot control all the forces of the world, but we can control the doorway we open to others. Let the smile be the simplest, easiest form of creating that necessary, healing peace in our own small corners of the world.

Bishop Jos
14th Bishop of Idaho