Searching for God is Searching for Peace
Speeches by Miss Universe candidates drip with peace wishes. Popes pray for peace in their Christmas messages. The United Nations exists to maintain and promote peace. The Peace Corps attempts to establish peace through projects. We hope to “sleep peacefully” – except when that phrase refers to death.
Peace is a brand of boots and a type of message therapy. There are “peace gifts,” “peace tea, “peace” flower arrangements and, I’ve recently discovered, peace aromatherapy.
You get the point. “Peace” is all around us. But has its ubiquity, like “love,” dulled and befuddled its meaning? What exactly do we mean by “peace?” Is it real, and is it significant for people searching for God?
Remarkable Treasure of Insights
Regarding its meaning, many think of peace as a passive state, a lack of violence or war. And that is one of its meanings for sure. But one of the goals of this blog is to invite readers searching for God to open the remarkable treasure of insights found in traditional religious teaching, especially the Hebrew and Christian Bibles.
The Hebrew word for “peace” is Shalom, probably the best known word in that ancient language. “No single English word can render it,” says John L. McKenzie in his Dictionary of the Bible. “In general, it signifies ‘completeness, perfection’ – perhaps most precisely, a condition in which nothing is lacking.
“The Israelis conceived peace as a gift of Yahweh…,” writes McKenzie. “The state of perfect well-being which the word designates is identified with the deity; when one possesses peace, one is in perfect and assured communion with Yahweh.”
In the Letter to the Christian community in the ancient Greek city of Philippi, the apostle Paul urges his readers to “have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Placing Your Head in the Sand?
The part about “surpassing all understanding” has been a target of cynics who say it signifies a peace that comes from placing your head in the sand of blissful ignorance and passivity. That would be a grave misunderstanding of its meaning, which can be gained by reading the whole letter.
No, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, peace is not about ignorance and passivity. It’s first of all an overriding calm that comes from knowing that no matter what happens, no matter how frightful the circumstances, God’s love will prevail. And that requires the “work” of love.
Catholics wish that at the “kiss of peace,” in which participants in the Mass turn to each other to offer an embrace or handshake. Other Christians and members of other religious faiths undoubtedly have similar opportunities.
Peace is real but we seem to think about it only when it’s lacking. It is, however, one of the most deep-seated gifts of faith, resulting from trust. The connection is best expressed for me in Psalm 90 (in Catholic Bibles).
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’
“Peace to You”
The search for God is in one sense the search for peace, personal and global. The guarantee of genuine peace for the Christian is emphasized in the gospel of John, in which the writer repeatedly reports Jesus’ greetings to his disciples. Using the greeting common to Jews of his time (and of Muslims even today), Jesus says, “Peace to you.”
Given what we know about Jesus’ teachings, it was much more than another way of saying “hello.” Despite the discord, disputes and brutality associated with Christianity over the centuries, the word “peace” sums up Jesus’ ultimate gift to humanity.
And the connection between our personal peace and peace in our streets and our world is summed up by a quote attributed to Pope Paul VI: “If you want peace, work for justice.”
