What is true peace? When the Christ offered this peace to his friends, he said: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” This is obviously an ambiguous sort of peace. Why would Christ’s friends be troubled and afraid when they have received the gift of peace, and what is the peace which the world offers, but is not of God?
Obviously, there are moments in life when we simply feel happy and at peace. Everything seems to be going our way, maybe some problems are solved, love lies around us and the future looks good. There is no reason why we should not enjoy those moments and receive energy and hope from them. God is not mean!
However, maybe the Christ was looking at a wider and higher and deeper version of peace. He always seemed to be conscious of his place in the world. He looked out on the creation and saw who was suffering, or being unjust. He had a grand view of what life is about and what he might offer into that and encouraged his friends to do the same.
Maybe Divine peace is the mystery of a state of being which lives in fullness, hope and serenity to achieve a dream of true community for all creation, no matter how hard or impossible that seems to be. As we do that, of course, there are times when we cannot see the way ahead or we suffer for the cause for which we stand. To receive a gift of peace which overrides that and restores us to a sort of energy for good and a state of being which engages us with the life of God is always a miracle.
So, when we say to someone, “Peace be with you”, it really is like a prayer. The one who receives that gift may pray that she or he will discover a true openness to that gift. Sometimes that gift is enhanced by things around us – the sound of music, the sight of the sky at dawn, the perfume of a flower or the smile on the face of a child.
All these things are additions to our possibility for peace, if we will look for them and truly add them to our lives.
And why would we long for this deeper experience of peace? The reality is that it can transform each day for us and gather us into the vision for a different and more loving world. It can renew us so that we are prepared to begin again in the costly sharing of love and inviting our leaders, and the people around us, towards a greater hope, instead of cynicism and meanness.
So … “Peace be with you!” Together we might be set free to create new life together!
