“Jesus, the Blessed Child of the Father, is a peacemaker. His peace doesn’t mean only absence of war. It is not simply harmony or equilibrium. His peace is the fullness of well-being, gratuitously given by God. Jesus says, ‘Peace I leave to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you’ (John 14:27).

Peace is Shalom – well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually and communally. It can exist in the midst of a war-torn world, even in the midst of unresolved problems and increasing human conflicts. Jesus made that peace by giving his life for his brothers and sisters. This is no easy peace, but it is everlasting and it comes from God. Are we willing to give our lives in the service of peace?” (Henri J. M. Nouwen).

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NIV).

Did you catch that?

Jesus blesses the ones who actively seek for and make peace in the midst of conflict. Not the ones who passively stand by hoping for a lull in the action before they declare peace.

It’s about laying down your arms, your rights, and sometimes your life. It always means sacrifice. Jesus knows better than anyone the true cost of peace within, with others, and ultimately with God. The price was His very lifeblood.

Jesus calls us to make peace– not the easy peace that avoids conflict or disagreements, but the kind where we put the other’s well-being ahead of our own. Jesus calls us to His peace, the kind the world and all its calamities can never take away. The kind the gates of hell can’t stand up against. The peace that passes understanding.

God’s peace.