“Jesus came and stood among them.  He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and, after saying this, He showed them His hands and His side.  The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and He said to them again, ‘Peace be with you’” (John 20:19-21).

The theme of the second week of Advent is peace.  Throughout the Bible, we see God described as the God of peace (Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 14:33; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20).  God is the source of peace (Psalm 4:8; Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:2), and His plan for us is unending peace.  “I know what plans I have in mind for you, the Lord declares, plans for peace” (Jeremiah 29:11).  Although “the mountains may go away and the hills may totter . . . my faithful love will never leave you, my covenant of peace will never totter, says the Lord who takes pity on you” (Isaiah 54:10).  

This is God’s great gift to us—His own peace, a peace which the world cannot give (John 14:27).  The world cannot give us peace, but it can destroy our peace in many ways, such as through sin, fear, and idolatry.  However, the Scriptures reveal so many ways in which the Lord’s peace comes to us, and we can pray for the grace to grow in these areas this Advent and continually.  

Uprightness

The product of uprightness is peace—quiet and security forever (Isaiah 32:17).  The Lord has given us His commandments for our good (Deuteronomy 10:13).  When we walk in His ways (Baruch 3:13) and do good (Romans 2:10), we will live in peace.  We must not only do good, but also fill our minds with what is good.  As Philippians 4:8-9 says, “let your minds be filled with everything that is true, everything that is honorable, everything that is upright and pure, everything that we love and admire—with whatever is good and praiseworthy . . . Then the God of peace will be with you.” 

On the other hand, there is no peace for the wicked, who “are like the restless sea that cannot be still, whose waters throw up mud and dirt” (Isaiah 57:20-21).  Wickedness is a strong word, but we know that we lose peace when we sin.  Doubts and fears, anger and agitation, blame and accusations, loss of the spirit of prayer, restlessness, and other disturbances may come.  There are many consequences to sin, but peace is not one of them.  

In His wonderful love, though, even when we go astray, the Lord gently molds and disciplines us so that we may once again bear fruit in peace and uprightness (Hebrews 12:11).  He also is always waiting to forgive and extend His mercy to us through the sacrament of reconciliation.  In this season of Advent, we can recall the words of St. Peter, who said, “my dear friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live blameless and unsullied lives so that He will find you at peace” (2 Peter 3:14).    

Trust in the Lord

We also know that fear disturbs our peace (Tobit 12:17).  Wisdom 17 presents a vivid description of fear.  I recommend you read it, as it helps us see how fear multiplies and the need to come out of it.  Below is a brief excerpt from Wisdom 17:4-10:

The hiding place sheltering them could not ward off their fear; terrifying noises echoed round them; and gloomy, grim-faced specters haunted them.  No fire had power enough to give them light . . . Even when there was nothing frightful to scare them, the vermin creeping past and the hissing of reptiles filled them with panic; they died convulsed with fright, refusing even to look at empty air, which cannot be eluded anyhow!    

Thankfully, we do have a hiding place who can ward off our fears.  The Lord is our refuge, our fortress, our God in whom we trust (Psalm 91:2)!  We also have a great light that dispels the darkness.  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark” (John 8:12), and He continued, “do not let your hearts be troubled.  You trust in God, trust also in me” (John 14:1).  Let us take our Bibles and read them so that we may know the One in whom we have put our trust, being sure of His promises.  In this way, we will come to know His perfect love, which drives out all fear (1 John 4:18).  When we seek the Lord, He promises to answer us and free us from all our fears (Psalm 34:4).      

Put God First

We also lose peace when we place anything in our lives before God.  We have to put God first.  We tend to think of small figurines when we think of idols, but an idol can be anything that we put before God.  This can even include good things like caring for family or doing well in work.  It is important to surrender to the Lord whatever we have placed ahead of Him.  The Lord does not want us to place anything before Him (Exodus 34:14).  We are called to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).  And He is ready to give us any grace we need in this mission (2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Corinthians 12:9).  When we surrender to Him, we can pray Psalm 31:5—into your hands, Lord, I commit (name your intention).  

As we reflect on why a particular idol exists in our lives and what we fear losing if it is threatened, let us also ask the Lord to heal the underlying wounds.  Our God is a loving and compassionate healer.  When we come to Him like the man with the skin disease in Mark 1:40-45, we also will receive healing.  As we read in Mark 1:41, “feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out His hand, touched him and said to him, ‘I am willing.  Be cleansed.’” 

Prayer    

Prayer with gratitude is one of the keys to receiving the Lord’s peace.  “Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude, and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).  It is difficult to describe in words the peace that comes from prayer, but it is true, and we will not be the same once we experience it.

Ongoing Conversion     

Peace also results as we become a new creation (Galatians 6:15-16).  Through ongoing conversion, Jesus must increase in our lives, and we must decrease (John 3:30).  He is our peace.  “For a Son has been born for us, a Son has been given to us, and dominion has been laid on His shoulders; and this is the name He has been given,” Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5).  When Christ is in us (Galatians 2:20), His peace also will be in us.  His peace will reign in our hearts (Colossians 3:15).  Likewise, when the Holy Spirit is within us, peace will be one of the fruits (Galatians 5:22).  As St. Paul said in Romans 8:6, “human nature has nothing to look forward to but death, while the Spirit looks forward to life and peace.”  We simply have to ask (Luke 11:13).  

In this world, hardships and sufferings will continue.  Sometimes the waves seem like they will engulf the boats in which we are sailing through life.  But Jesus is with us in the boat, and it takes only a moment for Him to calm the storm within us (Mark 4:35-41).  As Jesus said to the disciples, “I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me.  In the world you will have hardship but be courageous: I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).  My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)!