A piece of peace

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Father Dominic Emmanuel [1]

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14: 27)”, said Jesus to his disciples before he ascended to heaven (the feast Christians celebrated on May 10), promising them that He would send his Holy Spirit upon them on the day of Pentecost (feast that will be celebrated on May 19).

The gift of peace bequeathed by Jesus to his disciples remains elusive. The world is still searching for lasting peace. Peace was once again shattered by a bomb blast last week during the inauguration of a new Church in Arusha, Tanzania, where around 3,000 people, including me, were gathered. Except three people who died, we were all miraculously saved.
The question that everyone asked after the deadly attack on a praying and worshipping congregation was, “What could have been the purpose of the person/s who threw the bomb on a community praising God? What did they achieve? Why do they think in violent terms?” Such questions are asked not only at the time of blasts but each time peace is broken, be it in our families, in our neighbourhoods or during wars.
It was, however, wonderful to find a godly spirit in people there believing in human goodness who, instead of being angry at the perpetrators of the attack, raised their voices proclaiming, “The power of evil will not prevail before the power of good and God.” But there were also some who asked if God could not protect people praying to Him, little realising that God, too, suffered and suffers each time such incidents take place.
When Jesus was imparting the gift of peace to his disciples, he did not mean to hand down a magic formula that would end all conflicts and bring everlasting peace on earth. Had his own life not come to a violent end, signalling to his disciples and followers as if evil was victorious over good in the life of their Master who had worked for peace?
God certainly wishes lasting peace for all, which is expressed in the desire of the human heart. And such a peace is certainly attainable if we follow what Jesus said: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:44)”.