Do you even believe peace is possible? I don't think most of us do. Peace makes a lovely image to think about, but isn't very grounded in the reality of the world, right? Since 9/11, our world has changed significantly, and the relative peace we once experienced in the United States – or at least the relative sense of security, seems like another lifetime, doesn't it? Fear, anxiety, stress, worry over the unknown, worry over our safety, worry over the future has replaced the calm. We're worried as travelers, worried as vacationers. We're worried on public transportation and in crowded public spaces. We're worried at special events where many people gather together. Then, we look around our world, and we see war and death and fighting. We struggle as men and women are sent across the world, separated from loved ones, to serve in the military. We struggle as we see images of destruction, and hear reports of chaos and instability.

And our worries aren't just about what's going on over there. Here, at home, in our country, we face a kind of unrest and division that I've not known before, not in my own lifetime at least. And in our own families, within the walls of our own homes, and within the confines of our own minds, we are not at peace with ourselves, with our neighbors, or with God. We are full of fear and anxiety. We are depressed, we are worried. We are making ourselves literally and figuratively sick with stress. Peace? Is it possible?