Fighting for Peace

Shalom

There is an Irish legend about two feuding clans in medieval Ireland- the O’Neills and the O’Donnells. For generations, they were locked in a bitter cycle of attack and retaliation. Mortal enemies.

Eventually, one chieftain decided the bloodshed had to end.

He went to his enemy’s stronghold. Instead of arriving with soldiers at his back, he came alone. He pushed his bare arm through the gate and called out, “Here is my hand. You may cut it off, or you may take it in peace.”

The other chieftain chose to grasp the hand, and the decades-long feud ended.

The story reminds me of a hard lesson from human history we seem to forget: the fruit of cooperation is peace, and the wages of domination are destruction.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Peacemaking is not weak, passive, or easy. More than once, Jesus reminded those with ears to hear that the right path is rarely the easy one. As those Irish chieftains demonstrated, it involves stepping into conflict, working toward reconciliation, repairing broken relationships, and the courage to seek justice and restoration. It often involves restraint.

True warriors understand this better than anyone.

Shalom
In Hebrew, shalom is a blessing of wholeness and peace- right relationship with God, harmony among people, restoration where there has been fracture, and well-being of body and soul. I can think of no better wish for our world today. Shalom.

The song pairing is a new composition of mine intended to be sung in worship - Shalom- I Wish You Peace. It is produced using artificial intelligence. Pretty amazing.

Until next time, stay safe, be well, and keep walking in the light.