That phrase,
“desire for peace,” resonated with me as I was reading the first sentence of an
article about peace. It appeared in a
new journal series I am reading to figure out whether it would be a useful
addition to some of my teaching. By and
large, I have not found the articles very helpful, so I admit that I may not
have been reading some new stuff with much expectation of good results. And I recognize that may not be a very good
approach to new reading material or, perhaps, to life.
Not only was
the phrase a good one, but also the entire first sentence was arresting. The sentence reads, “The desire for peace is
a holy longing.” I realized I had
stopped after reading that sentence and re-read it. That was my clue that something had
resonated. Usually I read along fairly
quickly. I am confident we can read,
take in information and not be affected by what we are learning. Reading the phrase inside this sentence was
different.
I read it,
but I am not sure I took in information.
When one takes in information, there is an implicit, “Oh, that’s good to
know,” and move on to the next idea. If
we think of a beginning class, we could imagine reading the first chapter and
learning that mixing hydrogen and oxygen will give us water. Again, we say something like, “Oh, that’s
interesting to know,” and we move on.
Knowing that hydrogen and oxygen constitute water does not significantly
change our lives---even though we are dependent on water for life!
That sentence
resonated with me not because I took something in, but because I realized there
was something to take in. And I also
realized that I don’t think I have taken “it” in yet. In fact, I was not sure what “it” would be
that I could take in. This was the
arresting effect the sentence had on me.
There was something to learn, but I felt like I did not know what “it”
was that I was to learn. And if I did
not know “it,” I could not possibly have learned yet.
The sentence
was an impression, but not yet information.
I needed to spend some time with the sentence. I needed to let my soul soak in it. I knew whatever “it” would be was going to
take me deeper into my soul than mere information usually goes. I sensed the “it” was going to be a deeper
truth---a spiritual truth. It would not
be a mere informational fact. It would a
formative truth that demand to be lived out.
I returned to
ponder the sentence: “The desire for peace is a holy longing.” I like grammar. It reveals things to me and to anyone who
pays attention. The sentence was what my
old English teacher said was an intransitive sentence. The verb, “is,” connects two equal
parts. The parts are “desire for peace”
and “holy longing.” In effect, the verb
“is” says they are equal or the same thing.
Because this is true, you can say it either way. The desire for peace is a holy longing or a
holy longing is a desire for peace.
I am sure
some of my attraction to this sentence was the words, “desire” and
“longing.” Both of those words are
profoundly spiritual for me. In fact, I
know one way I would define spirituality is to describe it as human
desire. It is human desire for meaning
and for purpose. Longing adds to the
pulse of spirituality. Both of these
words are insisting and urging words.
But they are not commandments or compulsions. One can choose to ignore desire and pay no
attention to longing. Just so, we can
ignore our spirituality and choose to live some other kind of life besides the
spiritual.
I also find
the language of desire and longing to be the language of the heart. It is heart language for me, not head
language. As such, the desire for peace
and the holy longing are not ideas. They
are much more than ideas. They are
callings. They are the Spirit’s call to
us and on us to live a particular kind of life, namely a life of peace.
Peace (Shalom
in Hebrew, Pax in Latin) is more than simple absence of conflict. Peace is more than a feeling. Shalom is a life rooted and grounded in the
very Presence of the Holy One. It is
life lived in tune with the Spirit’s desire for us. Pax is that pacific calling to live as deep
in the Living Water as we can possibly live.
Peace is
deeply spiritual. Although I am not
Roman Catholic, I like going to Mass.
And one of my favorite spots in the Mass is right before Holy Communion
when the congregation passes the peace.
It has immense symbolic power for me.
I get to turn to my neighbor and say, “The peace of the Lord be with you
always.” And the neighbor then says,
“And with your spirit.” That is the
peace of friendship, of community and of the kingdom.
When we can
muster this desire for peace, then we truly are praying that “thy kingdom
come.’ The desire for peace is a longing
to become a peace-maker---the hope of the world.
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