Sixth Sunday of Easter

Peace Begins with Me

In 1973 Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was nominated

for the Nobel Peace Prize for his shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East.
Earlier that year Kissinger had divorced his wife of many years.
When Kissingers son was asked if he thought his father deserved
the Nobel Prize for Peace, the young man answered,
My mother doesnt think so.

Peace is elusive.
We all know how other people should live in peace, but we have trouble finding
peace in our own lives.
Christ says in the gospel,
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you;
Not as the world gives do I give peace to you.

There are two thoughts here.

First, the peace of Christ is a gift, a grace, a legacy;
And second, the peace of Christ is not the peace of the world.

The peace of Christ is peace in our own hearts.

So often we have the peace equation backwards.
World peace doesnt bring peace to our hearts;
Peace in our hearts brings peace to the world.
A Family Circus cartoon showed the family preparing to go to church on Sunday.
In the first frame the children were arguing with their mother about what to wear;
then the children were fighting over the use the bathroom.
The next frame was a food fight at breakfast;
then the children were arguing over seats in the car;
In the final frame the family is kneeling piously in the church pew
praying for peace in Cambodia.

The cartoon is embarrassing true.

We bemoan the lack of world peace, yet there is so little peace in our own lives.
Teenagers who cannot get along with their parents
want America to get along with Afghanistan.
Students who have little peace in the school cafeteria
want peace in North Korea.
And adults who do not talk to each other
want peace talks to succeed in Palestine.
By some strange new arithmetic we expect all our little personal wars
to add up to world peace.
The reality is that small wars add up to bigger wars.
The familiar hymn has it correct: let peace begin with me.

My peace I do not give as the world gives peace.

The second thought is that the peace of Christ is not the peace of the world.
Peace of the world is diplomacy, compromise, armistice, treaty.
Travel agencies advertise a peaceful vacation in Hawaii,
meaning no work, no concerns, no other people, just rest and indulgence.
We say so often, All I want is peace and quiet,
meaning we dont want other people intruding in our lives.
That is the peace of the world.
But the peace of Christ is the peace not only of Bethlehem and Nazareth,
but also the peace of Jerusalem and Calvary.
It is not simply an escape from people but often an involvement with others.
Not just idle leisure, but also willing service.
A Christian should be at peace whether on a deserted island
or in downtown traffic.

It is true that there is as special quality to the peace of quiet,

But that is not the only form of Christian peace.
The essence of peace is quiet of the soul,
which is not disturbed by honest work or Christian service.

The word PEACE is synonymous with Christianity.

Even the secular world refers to Christ as the prince of peace.
Consider how frequently we read about peace in the scriptures,
how often we pray for peace in the liturgy,
and offer peace to each other at Mass.

Peace is an integral part of faith in Christ.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you;
Not as the world gives do I give peace to you.
Kissinger did win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Perhaps even his wife agreed that he had earned it
for his unique contribution to international diplomacy.
But the greatest prize, offered to everyone,
is the peace of Christ in our own hearts.