A Way of Peace – A Way of Life

 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, not let it be fearful.” (John 14:27 American Standard Version)

This is the gift that Jesus left his disciples – all of us.

It was his parting gift – and his promise.

Spend time with this passage. What line attracts your attention? What line challenges you? Hold these lines in your heart. Receive them. Ponder them in your heart. How do these lines connect with your life today? What is God saying to you though these lines?

Peace is not just the absence of war or conflict. Peace is being still, and holding steady within, in the midst of conflict.

Peace, in the Jewish tradition of Shalom, refers to wholeness or completeness, not just for the individual but for society at large. Peace is not a warm fuzzy or a quiet feeling. Peace is a moral value and as with all moral values, we need to be aware of them and consciously practice them. Peace is the gift given to us by Jesus. The gift, like all gifts, needs to be opened, used, enjoyed, struggled with and integrated into our lives.

The Prayer of Saint Francis can offer some practical ways to practice and integrate this gift of peace. This prayer calls for our conversion, our transformation, our letting go of the world’s way and replacing it with God’s way. Take one line at a time. Ask yourself, for example, where is there hatred in my life, in our world? How can I sow love? Make each line pertinent for your life. As you spend time with these lines you may discover one line is speaking to you more than the others. Spend time with it. Put it in practice.  

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

This powerful prayer of St. Francis, that is so well loved, can have quite an influence in our lives. It may even change us – and in doing so, change our world!

The call to peace is radical. Rather than bemoaning that we are not at peace, that our world is not at peace, let us put in the time and the energy to pray the words of Scripture and of St. Francis. After all it is our gift whose time has come……..

Shalom, Sister Pat

This song sung by Vince Gill and written by Jill Jackson/Sy Miller is a reminder that Peace begins with Me. It can be found on Youtube.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me;

Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.

With God our Creator, children all are we.

Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.

Let there be peace on earth and let this be the moment now.

With every step I take, may this be my solemn vow:

To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

Sr. Patricia Torre, DW