FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC – GIVE US YOUR PEACE

XIV.
GRANT US YOUR PEACE
(4/28)

The peace that passes all understanding will guard your minds in Jesus Christ. (Philippians 4:7)

We need God’s peace. Our world has been turned upside. We are concerned about the future for ourselves and our nation. Nearly every day, we weep over the death tolls and the lives taken by this pandemic. We are confused about the spread of disease and troubled by the conflict between economics and human life.

We need God’s peace. Spiritual teachers tell us that we can have peace amid the storm. We can have peace when we remember that Jesus is within the storm with us, and that regardless what happens, we will not sink.

The Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh counsels “peace is every step,” through conscious breathing, through breathing with and through our anxiety, anger, and fear. Peace doesn’t deny our anxieties, but places them in the perspective of God’s love for us.

I try, in my own weariness and care, to breath deeply the love of God, to let it fill my cells and soul, and to find that quiet center that enables me to reach out lovingly and prayerfully to all creation.

Take a moment to meditate on Shirley Erena Murray’s “Come and Find the Quiet Center” – https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=come+and+find+the+quiet+center+youtube&docid=607986434710833108&mid=E59768788AF341303668E59768788AF341303668&view=detail&FORM=VIRE (while there may be better quality videos, this is by young people, and it is their lives and witness that calls us to follow our better angels and plan for a sustainable and loving future for them)

Breathe deeply throughout the day, letting God’s peace fill your cells and your soul, and share your peace with the world.
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Grant us your peace, O God. Dona nobis pacem. Let there be peace in my heart and the world, and God, let me be an instrument of your peace. Amen.