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published
by the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America, May 2004
Archpastoral Reflections - May 2004:
The Power and Promise of Peace
The Holy
Scriptures tell us that prior to the Crucifixion,
Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord Jesus
Christ, He began to prepare His disciples for the
time when He would no longer be with them. He
announced to them that he would “go to the Father”
and “prepare a place for them,” assuring them with
the promise that He would return some day so “that
where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).
Our Lord also prepared His disciples for the
hatred, persecution, and suffering they would face
in the world as they proclaimed the Gospel. While
some would believe, others would respond violently
to the message of love and salvation. Jesus said,
“The hour is coming when whoever kills you will
think he is offering service to God” (John 16:2).
These words of separation and anticipated travail
filled the hearts of the disciples with sorrow and
their minds with confusion. At that point in time,
they did not fully understand how Jesus’ ministry
and mission would be fulfilled. They could not
envision the dramatic physical and spiritual
events that were about to take place, events that
would break humanity’s bondage to sin and destroy
the power of death. Thus, our Lord comforted His
disciples by assuring them of His love and the
coming of the Spirit of truth, and by granting to
them the peace of God. He said to His disciples,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not
your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
afraid” (John 14:27). Knowing that many of them
would flee in fear when He was arrested, knowing
that as they preached and healed in the power of
the Resurrection that they would be persecuted, He
imparted to them a divine peace that would
protect, preserve and keep their hearts and minds
in Him.
This peace granted by Christ to His disciples and
to us as His Church is an eternal peace “which
passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). It is
a peace that is offered to us through the presence
of the Holy Spirit who guides us in truth and
assures us of God’s inseparable love for us. In
the “eyes” of the world, it is an incomprehensible
peace, because it provides Christians with the
ability and the power to live and remain faithful
to God even under the harshest and most violent
circumstances.
It is also a peace that guides us in working for
peaceful conditions and environments and for
non-violent resolutions to conflict throughout our
world. While we know that all of creation “groans”
under the burden of sin (Romans 8:20-22), awaiting
the return of our Lord to be free from the bondage
of war, terrorism, torture, crime, racism, and
their tragic and violent effects, we also know
that we are called to live in and promote
relationships that establish and sustain peace. We
know that when peace prevails in our homes,
communities, societies, and between nations, when
the social and political conditions of our world
sustain and protect life, people are blessed with
the opportunity to see the love and presence of
God in the lives of others, children live and play
in a nurturing environment that instills trust and
values, and all know the power of peace to direct
their lives beyond merely existing to the
realization and experience of the potential God
has given to every person.
It is in this spirit of the power and promise of
peace revealed to us by Christ, that the World
Council of Churches refers to the first decade of
the new millennium as “The Decade to Overcome
Violence.” As Christians living in a world
troubled by violence, we have a tremendous
treasure to offer all peoples and nations through
our example of peace by revealing the love of God
and through our efforts to share the Gospel of
peace, a message that grants true and enduring
peace to those who believe in Christ.
Just as our Lord assured His disciples, He assures
us through the presence of the Comforter, the Holy
Spirit, whose coming we celebrate this month on
the Feast of Pentecost. It is the Holy Spirit who
grants to us the peace of God, unites us in peace
as the Church, and directs us in living peacefully
in this world. May our prayers and our lives
express our commitment to follow the guidance of
the Spirit, and may we reveal to the world the
power of peace to heal and the promise of peace to
save.
†DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America
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