1 Maccabees 8: Peace
Monday, October 16, 2023
As we watch the Middle East devolve into chaos once again, we reflect on the concept and practice of peace.
Some of us are expert at allowing the charade of peace to play out for a lifetime. We smile stiffly and turn a blind eye to a friend or family member who revels in behavior which the world sees as unhealthy. We have become adept at turning away conveniently when someone in power acts in abusive and addictive ways. If we did not actually see the behavior, we tell ourselves, it is not there. We somehow delude ourselves into thinking that the power plays acted out between others will never be turned on us, and for that reason we sink to stroking the abuser rather than rebuking the act.
The Maccabees sought to create an atmosphere in which they might worship God freely; but they were unable to see that the power they thought might protect them would, in the end, turn in on them. They, like so many of us, believed that a haven might be created if they might just keep peace rather than try to make peace, if they might just settle for what they could get rather than petition God for what the world deserves: justice, mercy and compassion.
God’s love is the only peace worth seeking. It is the only peace that lasts. It is the only peace that heals, transforms and redeems. When we seek love, are we willing to settle for what makes us comfortable? Or are we willing to accept nothing less than the pure truth, honesty and constancy that bring lasting serenity? This choice is always ours to make. To whom do we send our ambassadors? Whose voice do we wait to hear whisper in the desperate hour of the darkest night? Whose face do we long to see? Whose touch do we yearn to feel? Whose love do we await? With whom do we sign our own Pax Romana?
Adapted from a Favorite written on February 15, 2009.
For more on the Roman Peace, click on the first two images above or visit: http://www.elixirofknowledge.com/2014/03/history-mystery-pax-romana-roman-peace.html and http://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/gladiators.html
Storm image from: https://amenaccountability.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/peace/
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