27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Peace. What is peace? We talk of a time of war and peace time. What do we call peace, then? Is peace just a time when there is no war? In my experience, when there is no overt war, there is just the illusion of peace. After World War I, there were countries that were still in an upheaval because they had lost the war, and they had leaders who were trying to build up their armed forces in order to be able to win the next one. Is that peace? After World War II, there was upheaval in the Middle East over the promise to give the Jewish people a homeland. In the 1950’s there was the Korean conflict. Then the war in Vietnam and the unrest in Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the Middle East continue to today. And I’m not even including some of the other conflicts. When has the world ever been without warfare somewhere?
So, what is peace? I remember the “Peace Sign” that the so-called hippies of the seventies gave one another. They often sought peace with drugs and careless sex. Was that peace? The peace that Jesus gives us is the peace of heart that comes from knowing that whatever happens here on earth, this is not the end. There is a place prepared for us from the foundation of the world where we will have eternal peace. This is the peace that was gained for us by Jesus, our Redeemer, and our Savior. We can only have this peace by accepting the gift and living a life of love and fidelity. This peace cannot be taken away from us. It survives war and tragedy. This peace gives us the hope that sustains us through it all. This is the Peace of Christ.
Thank you dear Lord for all that you have done for us. You have given us the gift of salvation and the gift of peace. May we be peaceful people who work to bring the gift of peace into the lives of those we meet along the way. Amen.
