The last line of our first reading from the Prophet Micah proclaims these words; “he shall be peace.” We all want peace, we seek it, but we often define peace on merely worldly terms. In the world, peace is simply the absence of war and violence. Of course, that is good, but we, as followers of Jesus seek peace that is of a higher order- God’s peace.
God desires all of us to be in union with Him. He loves us and wants what is best for us. True love allows us to make the choice between God and the world. God will never force us to believe in Him or to love Him; without this free will it would not be love. We must come to belief on our own. We must develop a relationship with God on our own. And if we choose to do so, we can find the peace Micah describes; a completeness, well-being, an understanding of being loved unconditionally. Here we find inner peace, even in times of trial. When the world seems to be falling apart all around us we know in our hearts and minds that God is still there with us, drawing us close to Him, assuring us of His love for us, opening our minds to a better world where we dwell with God forever. It can be difficult to maintain our peace when we face difficult situations, but if we surrender ourselves to Him we can be at peace.
So in this time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of our Lord we must take some time to seek out this peace, the peace that only comes from God. We know that when violence fills our lives we are without peace, so cast away earthly ways and seek the true source of all peace; Jesus. I wish you a blessed Advent and Christmas. I pray that you find peace.
Deacon Ray