Reflection
“Shalom I leave with you, my shalom I give to you, Not as the
world gives do I give it to you.”
John 14:27
“The world envisions peace as the absence of war. Jesus’ vision of shalom is far more embracing than that. It reaches into the very nature of God’s bond with creation, with our human nature and the nature of the universe. The shalom which Jesus gives and to which we are called is the vision of a reconciled world, a world of order where there is justice, harmony, and love. Shalom and love are interconnected. It is the peace experienced by those who live caring, just and courageous lives in the human community. Shalom embodies the Biblical vision of creation in which all are one, all reality is in harmony and unity and there is wellbeing 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. Shalom is God’s gift to humanity. We see that in the midst of confusion, injustice and suffering, it is possible for us to be renewed as Jesus was. The God of shalom is the God of hope. We do not work toward this shalom alone but within the human community. God’s shalom includes all and we experience it through relationship.”
Prayer
May I live shalom.
Action
What does it mean for you to build shalom within the human community/ How can you work for this with others in the present national climate?
Suggested Reading
Shalom I leave with you. My shalom I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
John 14:27
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Francis of Assisi
We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.
Pope Francis
Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.
Henri Nouwen
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa
In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight–a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.
Cornelius Plantinga
Shalom is when the image of God is recognized, protected and cultivated in every single human. It is our personal calling as followers of Jesus’ Gospel. It is the vision god set forth in the garden and the restoration God desires for every broken relationship. Shalom is the “very good” in the Gospel. Despite our anxious minds, despite threats of violence and despite division, God’s vision remains: peace for a hurting soul and wholeness for a fragmented world.
Lesli White
Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.
George Washington
Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.
John Lennon
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief… For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry