Being Peacemakers

We are living in trying days. When the world around us seems to be extremely divided - over political, moral, religious, gender, caste issues. All kinds of questions abound. Should children be allowed to wear a hijab or not in school? (A question that never bothered us when we were kids). Should vaccinations be mandated or not? Should people be defined by their castes? Should political parties be allowed to use religion and caste to define and divide groups of people only to shore up vote banks?

Some of the answers to these questions seem self-explanatory. But it's interesting how in today's world with the power of social media and the algorithms that regurgitate and amplify our own points of view without exposing the prejudices or fallacies that maybe plaguing our own hearts - we can build for ourselves an echo chamber. A world in which everyone agrees with our point of view. And the ones who don't, the "others" - they need to be forced to think or act a certain way.

Coercion, violence, threats, wars - all seem to be more immediate options that people are reaching out to rather than conversations and dialogues. It is heart breaking to see how even students in Udupi district, Karnataka are also divided against each other based on an issue such as head covering. Where does it end? When will the tables turn? And will it become about religious beliefs, dressing styles, political inclinations, castes, religious symbols or clothing? Where will it end, if we continue to think in terms of "us" and "them"?

How do we respond in times like these? Jesus said,

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9

What do peacemakers do? Do they remain passive in the presence of injustice? No. They strive diligently towards making peace. They work towards setting up systems that preserve the peace. They are courageous, brave, single-minded in their efforts to confront the forces that threaten peace. They are also those who will not promote division or divisiveness. They do not instigate (gaslight), they refuse to be instruments of war, discrimination or evil.

Being a peacemaker may sound flowery, but it is anything but that. It is a dangerous job. There are forces out there who don't appreciate them and may well work to destroy them or crush their voice - like they did our Lord.

We often hear about being children of God as a place of security, protection or even prosperity. But have we considered that being children of God also involves the dangerous and often confrontational process of making peace?

At the micro level it involves - not spreading gossip or fake news, refusing to entertain divisive or misleading media, having respectful conversations, dialogues - not just with those similar to us, but with people who are different from us as well., taking the time to get to know our "neighbors", going beyond the labels, assumptions or prejudices we tend to have about them. At the macro level it involves using our power to further the cause of those who are suffering - amplifying their voices, bringing awareness, facilitating harmony and healing wherever possible.

In the Good Samaritan story that Jesus told to explain what loving one's neighbor really entails, one can only feel the shock that the hearers would have had when he spoke of the Samaritan, a race they considered as unclean and untouchable, as the one who had mercy on the man who was robbed and left for dead on the road. This, after his own people didn't care to stop and care for him. "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?", Jesus asks (Luke 10:36).

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:37

This dialogue that Jesus had with a person from a group he was often at odds with was in response to a question about the way to inherit eternal life. interesting isn't it? That abundance of life is linked with loving our neighbors as well? We often think eternal life has only to do with loving God, and all the other "spiritual" activity we do in and around a church building. But that proactive, sacrificial, compassionate and merciful love that Jesus himself showed to all humanity when he laid down his life for them is the same love with which he calls us to love our neighbors.

Therefore being peacemakers at the end of the day involves standing with those who are suffering and refusing to pass by lulled into numbness by all the clutter in our own lives, but letting the love of God sensitize our hearts and awaken our senses to the people around us. We pray asking God to let his love abound in us through His Spirit, so that the numbness can dissipate giving way to a fresh, healing, confident and unhindered river of love overflowing from our lives. So we too can show mercy, love our neighbors and be peacemakers in the world we live in - in this way we live out our position as Children of God.