«For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, ‘Peace be within you’ » (Psalm 122:8).
THE HEBREW WORD shalom was the common greeting in the Near East in Bible times and continues to be so today. This is a very interesting word that is normally translated as «peace,» but also means» health,» «prosperity,» «well-being,» «friendship» When a person says shalom to another, in reality, that person is saying, «Friend, may the peace of God be with you, may the Lord grant you prosperity, well-being, and health.» In short, may you live completely fulfilled in God. I believe that this is a correct way of understanding peace: enjoying everything in life that can make harmony, health, well-being, and full human development possible. However, this peace is not always possible, no matter how much a person believes in God and is in harmony with Him. Unfortunately, our world is not a world of peace; far from it. It is estimated that right now, there are several dozen military conflicts on the planet, and according to UNICEF, there are about three hundred thousand child soldiers fighting in them. Internal divisions within countries, enmities between various nations, and the conflicts that take place within a person’s heart clearly show us the consequences of sin.
From recent history, I remember the television images of the Rwandan war in 1994. That conflict—which was in reality a genocide of the Tutsi ethnic group— highlighted how far hatred among human beings can go. «A man is a wolf to another man,» said philosopher Thomas Hobbes, quoting an ancient Latin proverb, and it is true. The horrors which humanity can reach against itself are spine-chilling.
Since we live on a planet in conflict, it is fitting to expect that at some moment in our lives (if it has not done so already), conflict will occur for us, as well. If that is so, God will be our strength and our solace. However, it is Kind mental that we not be the ones «who [sow] discord among brethren» (Proverbs 6:19). May the Lord help us to handle in the privacy of our homes every inner feeling of envy, hatred, jealousy, resentment, anger, intolerance, prejudice, or misunderstanding that could arise. We are humans and, as such, we are not free from negative emotions and feelings; however, we have a God who is willing to help us prevent them from increasing, generating division, and causing irreparable harm. Shalom, dear friend.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2020
«One Day at a Time»
From: Patricia Muñoz Bertozzi
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Magda Sanz T
