International flotilla skirmish near Israel, 9 dead
Recently the US military reported the 1,000th solider dead in Afghanistan
The war in Iraq is still brewing
The US recession is still in place
Peace?
Well, yes, peace, but not peace as we think we know what peace is. Every day I read headlines like the ones above and think "oh no, not something else."
Jesus came to bring the peace, love, and joy of his Father's Kingdom. It is not the kind of peace that we think, I'll meet you half-way type of deal. No, God's peace is the ultimate peace of the Kingdom of God.
In in the Eastern Church we begin our first petition of the Divine Liturgy with "In peace let us pray to the Lord" we cannot do anything else before we beg God for his peace.
Over and over again in the Liturgy and in the Mass (if you are RC) the priest bestows the "peace of God" upon the people.
We seek the peace of God each and every day but it seems like an up hill battle (pun intended!). It may seem impossible at times but we try.
Christians are called to be peacemakers
We have many examples of peacemakers who tried very hard to bring peace and reconciliation among peoples:
Mother Maria Skobtsova
Martin Luther King Jr.
Dorothy Day
Mother Teresa
Brother Roger of the Taize Movement
and a host of others
Are you a peacemaker?
Do you try to bring peace to those around you?
Do you find that being a peacemaker is challenging?
Lets share today and talk about peace in our lives, or the lack of it.
