Christmas Reflection:
Preemptive Peace over Preemptive War
With this reflection Terri and I want to wish everyone a blessed Christmas! During Advent I asked the question: What kind of Jesus will return someday? Will the One who came among us as a humble, vulnerable child, a human being who grew into the One we call the Prince of Peace, undergo a drastic change of personality and return as a vengeful, angry judge who will conquer all our enemies? There is no scriptural evidence for the latter.
As followers of Jesus, we need to deal with our enemies (either on the personal level or the level of nations) in the Spirit of Christmas. Jesus came to teach us about preemptive Peace toward those aligned against us, not preemptive War or violent response, ie. North Korea. Preemptive Peace means not provoking anger in others, or at least cultivating tolerance of those who wish us harm. This kind of response is not popular at all because it seems to allow those who wish us harm to “get away” with their negative behavior. Instead we hold on to the doctrine of preemptive strikes and war and end up perpetuating ever greater violence and strife.
One time, a young monk was frustrated by his inability to make a difference in his monastic community. A wise spiritual director told him: Just keep yourself at peace and others will find peace just being near you. This Christmas let’s commit ourselves to the preemptive Peace Jesus came to bring among us!
John+
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| St. Alban |
Saint Alban Episcopal Mission (English, Anglican Communion) meets for mass every Sunday at 10:00 A.M. (see welcome letter at sidebar) at Casa Convento Concepcion, 4a Calle Oriente No. 41, Antigua, Guatemala.
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| The Reverend John Smith, Vicar 5235-6674 cell telephone (502 country code) |
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