CHRISTIANITY’S GIFT TO A WORLD OF TURMOIL IS PEACE

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

CHRISTIANITY’S GIFT TO A WORLD OF TURMOIL IS PEACE

"Pursue peace with all people and holiness, without
which no one will see the Lord" [Hebrews 12:14].

"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill
toward men" [Luke 2:14].

Humanity’s history is inundated with conflict, wars, constant destruction and death. As "Anointed One." the Messiah Christ came to bring "peace" and "good will" toward people, for He is the Incarnate agape (love) of God, reconciling humanity to God and people to each other. Prophet Isaiah tells us, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. His name will be called the Angel of Great Counsel, for I shall bring peace upon the rulers, peace and health by Him. Great shall be His government AND OF HIS PEACE THERE IS NO END" [Isaiah 9:5-6].

For thousands of years before and after Christ, humanity was embroiled in relentless wars that killed countless lives and devastated lands. If one were to examine the reasons closely he would see that much of it is due to man’s pride, greed, power, control, and to his obsession to dominate the world. Tyrants and dictators who were not content to possess wealth and power over the people of their own country but were filled with arrogance and the sick desire of conquering and enslaving other countries around them. Their ego led them to believe that they were much more superior than the rest of the world and of course they used their military might to crush and subordinate all others. Their sinister dream was to create an empire and one world power and to become an emperor. But it did not stop there. They, eventually, demanded and commanded their subjects to worship them as gods.

The Holy Apostles of Christ spread the Holy Gospel throughout the world will only "the weapon of peace," the preaching of the Cross. It is in the Cross of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ that mankind will find true peace. Saint Paul exhorts all, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts" [Colossians 3:15]. True and lasting peace can only come from above, from our Heavenly Father. We, as Orthodox Christians, believe that our Savior brought this everlasting peace to the world, however, it is up to us to accept it, to embrace it, and to abide by it. Our Lord’s Divine message of peace has not faded away nor will it ever. Instead of continuing on the path of destruction and even the annihilation of humanity we must entreat our Lord God to first forgive our rebelliousness and disobedience, and then to grant us His Divine and Eternal peace.

Nothing good can be accomplished in the world in the absence of peace. We need only to review our earthly history to see the misery, pain, suffering and death that regional and world wars have imposed upon the human race for centuries. Why would humans commit the same mistakes over and over again? Why would they not learn from those mistakes? Is it perhaps that mankind has lost sight of God? Is it because humanity has become faithless and unbelieving? or is it because man in his pride and wickedness feels that he should be god? Truthfully, I am convinced that power corrupts people. The historian and moralist, who was otherwise known simply as Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

As Christians our sights are always set on our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Everything we need we find in Him and through Him. The Holy Apostle Pau says, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection" [Colossians 3:12-14]. Our Almighty and Merciful God is "the God of patience" [Romans 15:5] and therefore we too must be patient with one another. We all know that it is not easy to change our wicked ways but by the grace of God the Holy Spirit we can achieve that which may seem to us as humanly impossible.

"GRACE AND PEACE BE MULTIPLIED
TO YOU IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
AND OF JESUS OUR LORD" [2 Peter 1:2].

_____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George