“Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives it. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.’” (John 14, 27) In the Scriptures peace is always much more than an “absence of war,” or a cessation of hostilities. It is a right relationship with God and with each other. As Jesus paints this picture, there is no peace among us if there is no peace with God. But how often do we settle for less? An Irish monk once said, “We use the expression ‘war has broken out,’ implying it was always there, dormant within us, waiting to cross over into action. Why do we not talk about peace breaking out? It, too, is always there, waiting to spring into action.
Let’s learn from our Jewish ancestors to be instruments of God’s peace. Here is the original text with which they were told to greet and bless one another: “Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” (Numbers 6, 22-26)
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“En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: ‘La paz les dejo, mi paz les doy. No se la doy como la da el mundo. No pierdan la paz ni se acobarden.’” (Juan 14, 27) Cristo Jesús, antes de su pasión y muerte, habla de paz y anima a los Apóstoles a no preocuparse ni sentir miedo. Nada ni nadie le va a impedir a Él llevar a cabo su misión de amor. Esta es la certeza confiada que Jesús nos da: estamos en las manos de Dios. Nadie tampoco nos va a arrebatar a nosotros la paz interior, la serenidad, y la libertad – si estamos unidos a Dios en el amor.
