Jesus Is a Peacemaker. Jesus, the Blessed Child of the Father, is a peacemaker. His peace doesn't mean only absence of war. It is not simply harmony or equilibrium. His peace is the fullness of well-being, gratuitously given by God. Jesus says, "Peace I leave to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you" (John 14:27).
Peace is Shalom --- well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually and communally. It can exist in the midst of a war-torn world, even in the midst of unresolved problems and increasing human conflicts. Jesus made that peace by giving his life for his brothers and sisters. This is no easy peace, but it is everlasting and it comes from God. Are we willing to give our lives in the service of peace?
They made me think of the opening lines of the groovy Constitutions of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace...
Peace is God's gift to us,
given in Christ
a gift we experience and enjoy now,
though not in its completeness.
We believe that peace
point beyond itself in hope
to the fullness of time.
Christ is our peace,
the source of our power.
United with him
we engage in the struggle
against the reality of evil
and continue the work
of establishing God's reign
of justice and peace.
Amen.
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