Reflection
Shalom I leave with you, my shalom I give to you,
Not as the world gives do I give
John 14:27
Shalom is generally translated as peace, but in Hebrew there are no one-word translations rather, every word has shades. and depths of meaning. Thus, shalom implies completeness, order, fullness, harmony, tranquility, health, prosperity, wholeness and the absence of discord. Shalom embodies the Biblical vision of creation in which all are one, all reality is in harmony and unity and there is well being for every creature. We are not only bound to God but to one another in a caring and just community in which there is no reason for fear. This is the shalom Jesus gave to his disciples; this was his hope for them that they would continue to work to create a world of love, peace, harmony and justice.
Prayer
Lord, make me a channel of Your peace
Action
Within the sphere of your own life try to live the vision of shalom.
Suggested Reading
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Shalom.”
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Luke 24:35-48
Shalom is a very dynamic notion. It’s always under way, always in process. We never finalize it. We take incremental steps along the way to try to create safer space for the flourishing of more people.
Walter Bruggemann
Shalom is the breadth, depth, climate, and smell of the kingdom of God. It’s a counter-story, with nothing missing and nothing lost for everyone who reads it.
Osheta Moore
Shalom is turbocharged peace, full-spectrum peace, peace amplified. It involves the transformation of the personal, social and structural dimensions of life. Shalom includes human flourishing in all dimensions of life.
Rick Love
Shalom is intimately tied to justice, because it is the enjoyment or celebration of human relationships which have been made right.
Johann Arnold
Shalom is the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight…. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or cease-fire among enemies. In the Bible shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight.
Cornelius Plantinga Jr.
Creation is all things and us. It is us in relationship with all things. All things, the ones we see and the ones we do not; the whirling galaxies and the wild suns, the black holes and the microorganisms, the trees and the stars, the fish and the whales – the molten lava and the towering snow-capped mountains, the children we give birth to and their children, and theirs, and theirs, and theirs.
Matthew Fox
Only a few people seem to realize that social harmony and peace with nature, between people, and within the individual only can come about when the material and spiritual realms are reconciled.
M. Fethullah Gülen
The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.
Deepak Chopra