Hajja Salesjana

God Intends Peace For Us The risen Lord’s first words to His disciples were, “Peace be with you”. Recalling the last words of the crucified Lord, “It is finished”, helps us to find meaning in the first words of the risen Lord. The last words reflect the completion of the earthly Ministry of Christ as the new words point to how this completed, finished work of Christ is received in our lives. By faith, we truly understand Jesus’ final words from the cross and in faith, we expect Jesus’ first words to be, “Peace be upon you.” It is therefore not a surprise that the introductory rite of the Holy Mass provides that the Bishop begins with the words, “Peace be with you.” The point is that peace is God’s gift to us. Peace is a blessing that God lavishes on His children. In the Old Testament, the Lord God instructed the priests to continually speak this blessing over the children of Israel to remind them of his grace and peace: The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord cause His face to shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face to you, And give you peace.’ – Numbers 6:26 In Christian living, this blessing, in effect, lifts God’s countenance upon us. In it, we know that we are seen, known, loved, and cared for by God. In it, the Lord gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6). This is the peace that the Lord God intends for us: that we might know the peace of God in a very turbulent world, in the middle of tumultuous busy schedules, within all kinds of chaos with things going in all sorts of directions. That we may know the peace of God in our today. God Brings This Peace When we remember and celebrate the peace we have received, in due course, we worship the one who brought this peace. We acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and Himself our peace (Ephesians 2:14-16). The peace He brings is a priceless gift by which we experience His love and acceptance in our lives, and all else becomes less important. This peace ensures that first, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1) since there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Then we have peace with one another because through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:17-18). And we live lives marked by the peace of God and the God of peace, knowing that the Lord is near. We shall not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, we let our requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:5-7). When we practice these things that we learn, receive, hear, and see in our fellow Christians, whatever is true, honourable, right, pure, and commendable, the God of peace will be with us (Philippians 4:8-9). God’s Peace Supersedes Hard Times There was another time when the Lord Jesus commanded the waves, and the wind and water were immediately calm. A terrifying Sea of Galilee storm had caused the disciples to fear for their lives, but Jesus calmly and confidently stilled the raging lake with these three words, “Peace, be still!”. Today, the Lord assures us that whatever storm we face, the Lord Jesus is the powerful, 25 Jannar-Marzu 2024 hajja