PEACEMAKING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

 

One of the liturgical changes following Vatican II that has become  important to me is the sign of peace which we exchange just prior to receiving the Eucharist.  It deepens my sense of community with other parishioners and also reminds me that it is essential that I be at peace with all others before joining with them in receiving the one body of Christ.

 

What exactly is the “peace of Christ” that I extend?  And how do I extend it not just to persons around me but to the wider world in which we live?  As the U.S. Catholic bishops stated in their 1983 statement The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response “Peacemaking is not an optional commitment.  It is a requirement of our faith.  We are called to be peacemakers by Jesus.”

 

In 1945 a small group of Catholics in France began to meet regularly to pray for peace. They were troubled by the fact that French and German Catholics, who professed the same faith, had killed one another by the thousands in World War II. Knowing that this was not the will of God, they prayed for forgiveness, reconciliation and the Peace of Christ.  This was the birth of Pax Christi which, literally translated, means “the Peace of Christ.”

 

Santa Cruz is blessed to have a local group of Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement committed to the gospel imperative of peace.  Besides rejecting war, PCUSA rejects every form of violence and domination and strives to create a world that reflects the Peace of Christ.  The local group annually sponsors “The Tent of Abraham,” an interfaith gathering for members of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and also co-sponsors the annual New Year’s Eve interfaith prayer service for peace.  This small but dedicated group meets monthly at Holy Cross Parish and welcomes anyone interested in the cause of nonvionence.

 

One can get more information at www.paxchristiusa.org or by contacting  local member Janis O’Driscoll at rubyboggs@gmail.com. 

 

May the peace of Christ capture your mind and heart!

 

Sister Marie, O.P.