As we begin the Season of Advent and look forward to the birth of the Prince of Peace, we do so in a world lacking peace. There are wars in Ukraine, devastating violence in the Middle East and intense fighting in several other parts of the world due to civil wars and insurrections. A bishop shared with me that he mentioned to his spiritual director the frustration and sadness he felt because he felt powerless to do anything about the violence surging in our world. His spiritual director asked him: “Is there peace in your heart?” The wise spiritual director explained that peace is achieved by each heart turning away from inner violence and being at peace with neighbor and with God. We can think that the peace is achieved by getting armies to cease shooting at one another. The truth is that this only stops the violence for a time until the next war begins. Peace is not merely the absence of war. If there is to be peace in the world, each one must find that peace in their own heart. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was once asked what in the world needs to change the most. She supposedly answered: “Me.” Each one of us should embrace that thought because usually the only thing in the world we can change is “Me.” I remember when I was in grade school our teacher taught us about the Fifth Commandment: “Thou shall not kill.” She explained that this Commandment forbids, not only murder, but also things such as anger, revenge and hatred. I remember that we asked her why this was so since hating someone or being angry with someone is not the same as killing that person. She answered that whether we seek to kill someone, or to get revenge, or to hold on to anger against a person this is all the same in the eyes of God since they all come from a “murderous heart.” Our words express what is in our hearts. Each of us should examine the words we speak or write about others. Do our words come from a heart at peace or a heart with a murderous spirit? Physical violence is not the only way to violate the Fifth Commandment. Words of hate or anger are serious failings in the eyes of God. As Jesus taught: “Anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fire of hell” (Mt 5:22) and “Anyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment” (Mt 5:22). There is nothing we can do about stopping the wars around the world. There is something we can do about the attitudes which we harbor within ourselves. We can seek forgiveness, we can build reconciliation, we can respect the dignity of others, we can speak charitably about others, even our enemies. As Jesus says: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5:44-45) Peace in the world begins with each human heart. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, it would be very appropriate for each of us to examine our own hearts to see where we fail to bring peace into the world instead of discord. May we remember what the Lord taught us: “Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God” (Mt 5:9).