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Pastoral Care Week Oct. 24 - 30 Finding peace within a world that is not at peace The following is the final in a series of five articles written by MUSC staff chaplains on this year's theme—Imagining Peace. The focus will be on imagining peace in the workplace, family, globally, and the inner-self.  by Rev. Joseph U. Grant Chaplain, MUSC Pastoral Care Services  We live in an ever-changing world filled with conflicts within our borders and abroad. At times we are inundated with reports of unrest across the globe, beaming from satellites and displayed with commentaries. The outer appearance is that the world is out of control, and it’s difficult to imagine there is peace. The care giver in the hospital environment is in constant contact with patients and family members, who can relate to a world gone mad as they reflect upon illnesses and tragedies of a personal nature. The news reports are not from a satellite or TV monitor but are personal consults that touch areas within human nature, surfacing the greatest fears and anxieties. Care givers often find themselves in the role of a bridge connecting those facing a volatile, uncertain world to the stabilizing force within themselves, which gives comfort and calm amidst physical conditions out of their control. The apostle Paul refers to this as a “strengthening within the inner man.” He also writes that in all things he has learned to be content. The message is that he strives to maintain a peace within, regardless of the economic or physical circumstances in his life. There were times when changes in life were out of his control; however, to worry was not the option. Inner faith navigated through times of unrest and uncertainty. Imagining peace is to envision a place of spiritual maturity where we are granted, as Reinhold Niebuhr  wrote, “the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change the things that I can.”  Spiritual maturity and growth are reflected in the latter portion or his statement: “...wisdom to distinguish the difference between the two.”  In his book “Reaching Out,” Henri Nouwen writes of a divinely inspired spiritual growth or movement within the human spirit that will allow us to be more accepting of others and our conditions. The term applied is a movement from hostility to hospitality. Hospitality is where we embrace life-altering events or individuals, allow them to be who they are or to fulfill a purpose, and grant them the freedom to move on without harboring offense.  As a result, we receive the gift that the experience or individual leaves behind. Therefore, all things work together for our good. Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.