Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Personal Peace (06/01/06)
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TITLE: PEACE BE UPON YOU | Previous Challenge Entry
By Hilarie Roseman
06/07/06 -
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The world is not at peace. Stories of war swirl around us, suffering and terror are beamed into our media, and enter our minds, bit by bit, every day. Personal peace in the middle of this unsettling information is hard to gain. Security is the threshold of personal peace. Security in a world of terrorism, earthquakes, tidal waves, casr accidents, marriage break ups and work redundancies is only a dream.
The person who offers us peace is Jesus Christ. Peace be with you. If we read the gospel of St. Luke, it is in the breaking of the bread that we recognize that Jesus is with us, saying "Peace be upon you; it is myself, do not be afraid." (Luke 24:36)
As we wrestle with our daily worries, we can give them to Jeuss, and put fear behind us. During our working day, perhaps in the morning, or perhaps at night, we can think that the Spirit of God has made his home in us. (Romans 8:9) We can think about the Blood of Christ, which is given for us for the forgiveness of sin, and we can begin this journey of forgiveness. It is so easy to blame everyone else for the worries of the day, but to into enter into the peace, we remember tht Jesus covers us over with his Blood for the forgiveness of sins. Liberation is forgiveness of sins. This breaks down separation between mand and God..."on him lies a punishment that brings us peace." (Isiah 53:5) There is no expiation without shedding blood. (Heb.9:22)
The blood rite is not peculiar to the expisatory sacrifice. It is found besides in two contexts where the meaning it assumes in the eyes of the Jews leaves no room for doubt, notably in two sacrifices which the New Testament explicitly links with the death of Christ..that of the Passover and that of the Covenant. The blood which the contracting parties exchange "creates a psychic communion of the two parties." (B. Vawter, Word & Mystery, Newman, 1969)
Through contact with the same life principle they become a single soul.
As we sit down thinking about this, it is overwhelming. A single soul with Jesus? It is true. Through Baptism we are incorporated into the Body of Christ, making each individual, and the whole group as a unit, a single soul with God.
This is the security, the peace of mind, that cannot be brought or sold. We can actually be with Jesus and pray for ourselves and others,knowing that he is with us, and that HIs Spirit will guide out steps. Sometimes we will go into plaes that are uncomfortable, but Jesus is there, saying, as he did to his apostles, "Peace be upon you: it is myself, do not be afraid." (Luke 24:36) Jesus is present everywhere. He is our security, our peace.
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Through contact with the same life principle they become a single soul."
This is the deepest and most mysterious part of your piece. Done right it would drawn sinner and saint.