Being Peace

IMAGE:Picasso Peace Dove Two

He himself will be peace.
Micah 5,4

These words, taken from today’s mid-morning reading (Terce), speak a profound message to us as Christmas approaches. The world is filled with violence and injustice, from our own neighborhoods to countries on the other side of the planet.

Overwhelmed, we can become paralyzed or apathetic, not because we don’t want to do something, but because we don’t know what to do or where to start.

We are called, like Jesus, to BE peace. In order to be peace in the world, we must be at peace with ourselves. Thomas Merton says “We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God.”

Through the Incarnation, Jesus shows us how to respond the the Gift of Divine Spirit given to each of us, enabling us to become a reflection of God in the world.

As we grow into a deeper relationship with the Holy One, we grow also into our ability to be peace in our families, our communities, our world.