I sing these words, send them on holiday greeting cards and hear them in the air. And on Earth, peace... What do these words really mean? Somehow I don’t think it has to do with Earth being “calm and bright.” On the contrary, the test of real peace is when things are not all that bright or calm.
Peace happens when two human beings are able to speak to one another in such a way that each feels the reverence they hold for each other. You remember what it’s like, looking into the eyes of another person and really empathizing. Understanding and being understood. It’s a good feeling.
Peace also happens when two disagreeing human beings are able to honestly share their differing points of view and still feel the reverence they hold for each other. You must remember such a time, when you just knew that no matter how different your opinion was, the other person was not going to hate you for it. This is a great achievement, no small thing. And good feelings might not automatically go with it. Peace is not always a good feeling. But it is always good. Imagine nations behaving with reverence toward each other, even when they have deep-seated or long-standing disagreements. Peace comes when we resist violence and engage in dialog toward mutual understanding and mutual meeting of needs.
Peace happens when people take joy in the many cultures in which folks live and grow, with reverence and respect for the differences that might at times clash and at times blend. Remember celebrating that strange festival? Or those unfamiliar flavors, or the dissonant sounds of exotic music? Didn’t it feel great to experience something so different from your own way? Maybe it stretched us or gave us a moment of discomfort. But maybe that’s just what we needed.
Peace is not easy to achieve. How do I step out of my comfort zone and actually show my reverence for the other? Peace is not simply an idea; it must be made solid and real. Sometimes I need to just let the person be. At other times it means I swallow my pride and admit that I was wrong. What if I took a good long look at my business practices that leave some people in the dust? Sometimes I let something remain unsaid. At other times I need to ask for forgiveness. What if my politics came more into line with my faith convictions? Sometimes I must bridge a chasm that seems too wide or too deep, but I span it anyway, stretching every fiber of my being. As a Christian, this is what I believe Jesus did. All of these ways of making peace, and many more that you can imagine, might require us to change. And that’s the hard part.
We humans do not like change. We will make war rather than speak to the enemy to negotiate a settlement that might require us to change our point of view or admit a mistake. What is this about? Is it that we think we are God? That we never make mistakes ... never need to change? Let’s remind ourselves this holy season that we are mere mortals and that we do indeed make mistakes and that we need to make changes in our personal lives, our business lives, our political lives and our national lives.
In this time we give glory to God, and make deliberate, disciplined decisions to make peace, too.
Sister Monika Ellis, OSB, is a Benedictine nun of St. Placid Priory in Lacey since 1971. She is a spiritual director, helps women with discerning their vocation, and spends much of her time with music and art.
Perspective is coordinated by Interfaith Works in cooperation with The Olympian. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by Interfaith Works or The Olympian.
