Prince of

PEACE
SHALOM

May the Peace of Christ and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always.
PEACE. It's a good time we are reminded to pray for Peace in the World, and the Peace of Jerusalem.

I always ask my mother what she wants for Christmas. She always says the same thing: "You don't have to get me anything, all I want is for everyone to get along, like that Rodney King guy says. I just want Peace." I get her a nice sweater, a few CDs and jewelry anyway.

There seems to be always perpetual conflict in the Middle East, conflict between Israelis, Palestinians, Israelis and sometimes Lebanese, Syrians, Iranians or other Arab nations, religious conflict between Muslims, Jews and Christians, conflict between British and Irish, Catholics and Protestants in Belfast, conflict between factions in Pakistan now, factions in Iraq, and that nut job lurking in North Korea. There is conflict between Sudanese and Darfurians, between Kashmiri independent separatists and Indians, race conflict in America, and perpetual conflict between me and that creepy dude my mother has been living with since my Dad died. That's the one she wants healed most for Christmas I am sure. She would trade all her jewelry for my being able to make genuine polite conversation with him rather than look at him like he crawled out of a swamp. I am working on it.

At Christmas dinner I sat next to a British family, friends of my sister, with two adorable little kids. The mother looked positively saintly with her angelic beautiful little pre-school girl and boy in their Christmas best until she started ranting about Guy Fawks day (a national British holiday in November) commemorating the day "we defeated those damned Catholics who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament to take back the Crown." She apparently didn't get the memo that I am actually a practicing Catholic, which is just as well because I didn't have to explain that the practice doesn't involve blowing up government installations of any kind. (I bemuse myself wondering how she took the recent news of Tony Blair's conversion to Catholicism)

There is lack of peace everywhere- as if the people loved the darkness, held on to the darkness as if there were some security in hating the "other."

As awkward as seeking peace sometimes is, as threatening as it can appear, it is to be desired more than riches, more than oil and embassies, and it is far more secure than coveting hostility or nursing tension, conflict, vengeance and hate (which is why War is usually flatly stupid and counterproductive anyway.)Peace in your heart, that loves in a bigger way the thing most lovely about everyone: that we are each one created in God's image; that when you look at the least lowliest most meager poor humble person you are still looking in the face of Christ-the Creator who doesn't ever make trash. The Peace of Christ that promises to be the healing of the world is the Peace of a heart so large that it knows the paradox that only in giving, not taking, is it filled, only in loving the other more than yourself do you find yourself, only in counting the other more worthy than you do you find your true worth. As Sting once said, the Russians love their children too- and so do the Iraqis, the Iranians, the Pakistanis, and the Palestinians. I am told the creep living with my mother even loves his grandchildren.

That's why it was easy for Christ to say- look -don't just love the people who love you back. That's basically selfish. That's easy- even tax collectors and scummy people can do that. Love your enemies. Really. Your enemies. Love them. Don't kill them, bomb them, destroy their towns, torch their villages, bury them, take their resources, rape their women, delimb their landmined children- NO- LOVE THEM. Please, Please, Please, Please, Love Them.

"The creep" actually has a name- it's Larry. Every Iraqi man, woman and child alive has a name. I do not know these names. Every Iraqi man, woman and child who has died has a name. I do not know those names either. I do know that their names are not all "Iraqi." Do not call your enemies out of their names. Pray for them by name.

Love and pray for the people who spitefully use and mock you-especially the ones who hurt you the most. Then your heart grows large enough to maybe float to and fit in heaven. When you throw a feast or banquet, don't just invite the fancy folk who will next invite you back to theirs- invite the people who can't pay you back-people who will never have a fancy banquet to pay you back- you will get your reward in heaven. If someone wants your coat, envies you, give them your coat and your shirt too. Consider others better than yourself. Remember those Pharisees- they liked to look down on everyone- they were more pious, they stood in the market places visible to everyone praying so everyone could see how pious in long fancy robes. When you pray go in a closet and pray- don't convey that you count yourself better than anyone else by acting superior making a spectacle of prayer. Love the lowliest. -Even As God did.

Who did He possibly (probably-good bet) of all Humans love the most? Mary. The "Hand-maid" of the Lord. Hand-maid. Maid. Servant Girl. Altar Girl. Kid who sewed the Priest garments in the back room.

Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord- who afterall created everything. Everything.
You cannot outgive God. You cannot outlove God. There is no point to hanging on to anything because he can just make more- like the Lays Potato Chip God- he will make more- he will make more money, he will make more stuff, he will make more of anything you need. It's all His anyway- So let it go.