My Dear Friends,

This second week in Advent draws us into the possibilities of real peace for us and our world. And yet, ironically, there is so much at this time of year that works against it; and one is led to ask: what would it mean if we really began to embrace Christ’s Advent message of peace?

That dream may seem like a fantasy in a world in which so many issues divide us – “pro-life” or “pro-choice”, “rich” or “poor”. And it’s tempting to define the world in terms like that, but when we do, all we do is deepen the enmity between us, for ultimately justice is not something that can be achieved by alienation and division and by taking sides, and whilst there are real evils that must be resisted, it’s wise to remember St Paul’s words that it’s not the people we fight so much as the “principalities and powers”.

In so many ways we attempt to create peace for ourselves, forgetting that without God this is simply not possible. We think we can find peace by excluding those who challenge and disagree with us, only to find our safe community growing smaller and smaller until we only have ourselves to agree with. We think we can find joy and abundance by amassing money and ‘things’, only to discover our planet dying around us. We think we can find love by turning inward and making our own needs more important than our relationships, only to find that our self- absorption leaves us alone and empty. If we are to know peace, the real peace that only Christ can bring, then we need to change how we do things. We must allow ourselves to create peace not just for ourselves but for others, by tolerance and understanding. Then we discover that God’s reign is truly within us, and if we embrace a Christ-like and peace-filled way of living we reflect the light of God’s love. 

Every blessing,