by Martin Hoegger, www.hoegger.org
During the recent ecumenical meeting of “Synaxe” in the monastery of Brâncoveanu, near Sibiu in Romania, on the theme “Blessed are the peacemakers”, a biblical journey on peace in the Bible was proposed. The Bible offers essential stories about peace. Reading it together in the spirit of “Lectio divina” also gives us a taste of peace.
Jean-Philippe Calame, chaplain at the Grandchamp community in Switzerland, gave a study on peace in the Bible, beginning with the words of the apostle Paul: “the peace of God surpasses all that can be conceived”. God is goodness, and he only wants to pass on the peace that he lives in himself, as the communion of the Father and the Son.
God has prepared peace for those he loves (1 Cor 2:9). This peace does not come to us without him. It is only through the restoration of our relationship with Him that we can experience it.
Peace is essentially a gift that comes from God. It is in history, but not of history. Jesus alone is God’s completed peace. Politics alone cannot create it. He alone can give it.
Stories of peace in the Bible
The quest for peace requires asceticism. The Bible provides us with essential, irreplaceable and alternative narratives to guide us.
In the story of Cain and Abel, God says to the elder brother: “Evil is at your door. It’s up to you to overcome it”. When a human being allows himself to be won over by violence, he sets in motion a process that is beyond him. This story teaches us that we must begin by listening to God, who is knocking at the door of our hearts, and putting aside the voice of seduction.
Remarkably, in 1 Samuel 24, David chooses to spare Saul, his persecutor, because he remembers that God has anointed him. Since Jesus gave his life for everyone, we can no longer lay hands on anyone. In Luke 12:13-14, Jesus refuses to get involved in a question of inheritance. He calls for each person to take responsibility.
Jesus also provoked his listeners by saying: “I have not come to bring peace”. Why does the relationship with him take precedence over all other relationships? Because it is “in Christ” that the true quality of human relationships can be deciphered. The peacemaker is prepared to recognize Jesus who brought peace by giving his very life on the cross. In the name of Christ, the peacemaker makes himself available to live peace with everyone.
He is a realist not only in the sense that he knows the real conditions of the situations he witnesses, but he is also a realist in the sense that he is aware of the reality of God’s reign and unceasing work. That’s why he engages in fervent intercession and looks on everyone with hope. With this vision and this mission, in the company of every human being, he offers his presence in the places where there is brokenness, to become “the repairer of the breaches” (see Isaiah 58, 6-14).
Peace and justice
Professor Pierre-Yves Brandt, from the Faculty of Theology in Lausanne, offered a meditation, emphasizing that peace is impossible where injustice reigns. He meditated on the prophet Amos, who denounces injustice in the name of the Word of God (8:4-12).
Shalom” – the peace given by God – creates order in the world. Abraham is an example of a gentle man who experiences the bliss of gentleness. He calmed a conflict between his shepherds and Lot’s shepherds. The gentle person is also a peacemaker. Between Christian denominations, we also need these peacemakers, men and women who do not occupy all the space but give others the opportunity to respond to the call they have received.
Lectio divina
At every Synaxe meeting, “lectio divina”, a spiritual approach to the Scriptures, is offered. Reference to the Word of God is central, because through it Christ speaks to us. The aim of lectio is to meet him and say “you” to him in prayer. And it is he who unites us. This year, a booklet on the first letter of John guided the meditation.
In this letter, the author wants to strengthen our communion with Jesus Christ, as well as our communion with one another. “God is light” (1:5), and the immediate consequence of this is that we must walk in his light, loving one another… and confessing our faults when we fail to do so.
The word “peace” does not appear in this letter. However, the life, communion and joy promised to those who receive Christ are signs of the biblical “Shalom”, the eschatological gift of peace already experienced by believers (cf. 1 John 1:1-5).
Peace in liturgical life
One of the places to receive the biblical message is the liturgy. Archimandrite Philadelphos Kafalis (Brussels, Ecumenical Patriarchate) discusses peace in liturgical life from an Orthodox perspective. The liturgy asks for peace from on high for the Church and the salvation of the world: “In peace, let us pray to the Lord”! True peace is lived in God and comes from him.
The sacraments are a window on the Kingdom of God that brings peace with its unifying power. In all the sacraments, we ask for peace of mind. In fact, it is Christ himself who is found in the sacraments and who gives peace. Transformed, believers bring this peace to the world after the liturgy.
For other articles on this theme, see: https://www.hoegger.org/article/blessed-are-the-peacemakers/
