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We open now

to a peace that passes all understanding,

discovered not only in that rare state

of a still mind

but also in the midst of chaos,

in the disequilibrium of growth,

in the push and pull of circumstance –

and through it all, an awareness

that is not rattled but rather, deeply curious.

 

We open now

to a peace that passes all understanding,

in the street-corner prophet

passing out handbills of hope,

repaid with the derision of the passersby;

and in the soldier

defending with bullets and bravery

the right of a little girl to go to school;

and in the labour of lawyers

writing policy to save the spotted owl;

and in the priest’s choice

to empower a peasant with the Nazarene’s legacy.

 

We open now

to a peace that passes all understanding,

in the solitude of a monk

holding a broken and blessed planet

in constant prayer;

and in the heart of the Christ,

who transforms violence into his own suffering,

abundant live flowing from His wounds

to the hearts of perpetrators

 and the likes of us, who proclaim him Prince of Peace. Amen.