“Shalom” by Rick Stevens, Fiat Ventures
Sixth Sunday of Easter
The peace sign. We see the symbol version on bumper stickers (the circle with the vertical line through it and the triangle at the bottom). Then there’s the gesture; a “v” sign made with spread index and middle finger on one hand. Some of us even use it at Mass during the sign of peace for those a few pews away or across the aisle or perhaps to someone next to us when we have a cold and can’t shake their hand. For most of us, the peace sign or gesture represents a desire just to get along with others and not be in conflict.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus offers the Apostles a peace greeting when he addresses them saying, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. “ This greeting comes at a very good time for the apostles. They are feeling tension with the Jewish authorities and Jesus had already told them that he is going away. It is a stressful time. They had just witnessed conflict between the Jewish religious establishment and Jesus and were afraid that the Jews would hunt them down next. But just what did Jesus mean when he wished them peace?
When we look back to those times, we find that in the translation back to the Hebrew language, the word for peace is shalom. Shalom is a greeting that means a lot more than just wishing someone is no longer in a state of fear or conflict.
Shalom in the Old Testament was the hope and wish for a world of mercy, justice and righteousness where all might live abundantly. When bestowed as a greeting, it was meant as a blessing for not only good health and good fortune but comfort as well.
The spirit of shalom is reflected in the words of Isaiah that are repeated by Jesus in Luke’s gospel right before he begins his ministry. “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
The year acceptable to the lord is a reference back to the book of Leviticus where God calls for a Jubilee year every fifty years. During this year, debts are to be forgiven, slaves freed and special care given to feed the hungry and aid the impoverished.
So in effect, what Jesus has in mind for his Apostles is much the same as the example he set in his own ministry. The first peace greeting is the blessing for the comfort, strength, and perseverance that comes from God. The second is Jesus’ commission for the Apostles to go and bring that same message to the world. As a disciples of Christ, we are expected to carry out the same mission. Pope Francis made this clear when he declared a Jubilee year in 2016, calling it the Year of Mercy.
We are reminded of this call at Mass during the sign of peace. The blessing of peace that the priest bestows upon us is for God’s loving comfort, forgiveness and fortitude. The blessing of peace that we are asked to offer others, then, should be more than a superficial greeting.
So when we turn to someone at mass and say “peace be with you”, we should be prepared to back up that handshake, hug or gesture with something more meaningful. Like a prayer, a kind word of encouragement, or merciful forgiveness. That’s the kind of peace that Jesus had in mind. Too bad all that won’t fit on a bumper sticker…so we’ll have to stick with the symbol for now. But remember what it means!