Every good master bequeaths some legacies or treasures to his
disciples. His last speeches are very important. In his farewell speech, Christ
bequeaths peace to his disciples. However, he told them that his peace is not
the type the world gives. So what type of peace do we find in the world and
what type of peace does Christ promise?
The biblical word for
peace is shalom. It means more than
the absence of war, troubles, ill-health and worries. It is different from
tranquility. Tranquility is more of external, while peace is more of the
internal. It is a state of inner calmness which flows from a relationship with
God and manifests in our dealings with others. Righteousness, therefore, is the
basic ground for peace. Hence the saying: “there is n`o peace for the wicked”.
A practical example is the joy, the serenity and the strength one receives
after confessing and reconciling with God compared to the guilt, the shame, the
anxiety and weakness that one feels when in a state of sin. Psalm 32 admits
that peace comes from reconciliation with God.
The peace Christ meant goes beyond the peace which comes from
amassing of material wealth. Some people make the mistake of thinking that they
can find peace by getting more gadgets, latest technologies, etc. Such people
put their trust in money. However, there is a limit to what money can do. It
can buy you a good bed, but not sleep; it can buy you a good house, but not
home; it can buy you a good health insurance plan, but not health. The love of
having increases by having. Hence, no real peace comes from money and all it
can buy.
Christ’s peace is not “Emperors’ peace” or “national peace”
where nations employ the use of bombs and guns to overcome their enemies and in
defending their borders, only to be destroyed by a more powerful nation later.
There is a popular saying that: “if you want peace prepare for war”. On the
contrary, Christ’s notion of peace is “if you want peace prepare for work”. War
cannot bring peace, rather working for justice, love and forgiveness does.
The peace which Christ’s gives is that which comes from
within and transforms the external. It is that which makes us to see the
suffering of others and do something about it. A little wonder Mahatma Gandhi
said: “Poverty is the worst form of violence”. A hungry man is an angry man. In
a society where people are hungry, what do we expect? Fighting violence without
fighting hunger in such a society is beating around the bush.
The world has not been able to achieve peace because the
purported peace fighters have violent hearts. There is no peace within. The
inner sanctuary is already disturbed by hatred, prejudice, religious and ethnic
bigotry. It is only when the inner core
of the soul is quiet that we can see clearly what peace means and then know the
right way to achieve it. The violence and lack of respect for human life which we
experience today is the fruit of a bad fruit sown in the heart.
Everybody wants to
have peace of mind and body. Both the righteous and the wicked, even the most
violent. However, only few are working towards the realization of peace in the
world. If you want peace in the world, start from your country. If you want
peace in your country, start from your city. If you want peace in your city,
start from your town. If you want peace in your town, start from your village.
If you want peace in your village, start from your family. If you want peace in
your family, start from yourself.
You see, in the final analyses, peace is not far from us, it
starts with you and I, in a very little way. Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
reflecting on working towards world peace said: “Peace starts with a smile.
Smile five times a day at someone you don’t really want to smile at; do it for
peace.” MAY THIS PEACE OF CHRIST RESIDE IN OUR HEARTS THAT WE MAY SPREAD ITS
FRAGRANCE IN THE WORLD. AMEN. HAPPY SUNDAY.
