The Second Week of Advent started on December 5th, known as Peace Sunday.
Peace is difficult to describe; when we hear this word, do we usually think it refers to inner peace? I think so. Yet, it could mean peace in your home or your community, country, or world. Peace can describe the nature of all of these places at some level. However, we usually understand “peace” as limited to our own sphere of existence – family, home, work, and social circles.
So I gathered some quotes from well-known people, religious and civic leaders, some people who gave their lives for peace and justice. These folks come from all walks of life and various religious traditions.
Most people think of peace as impossible outside of what we experience or control in our daily lives. So before you consider these words of wisdom about the varying understandings of peace, here is an animation of John Lennon singing “Give Peace a Chance.” This video includes the lyrics. I think John points out how much noise we live with, and amidst that noise, we must search for our peace. This video is also “noisy,” brilliantly so, but still, it can put a listener off-balance.
Peace: Imagine
Choosing between offering you “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine” proved a challenge, so I included both! “Imagine” showcases Lennon’s genius, but you also see a gentle man, a peaceful man. So, you may listen to one of your choosing or both, but they are great for contemplating peace, locally and globally, and how we’ll contribute to peace.
The Quotations
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
Gautama Buddha
We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom.
The late Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the US, 5-Star General during World War II
If you want to end the war, then instead of sending guns, send books. Instead of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of sending soldiers, send teachers.
Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate
“Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.”
Hafsat Abiola, Nigerian human rights activist
Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.
The late U.S. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
The late Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States
“Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights activist and Baptist minister, assassinated in 1968
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
Indira Ghandi, Third Prime Minister of India, first and only woman prime minister, assassinated in 1984
If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies.
Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, retired
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
The late Mother Teresa, founder of the Order of the Sisters of Charity.
“Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.”
Dalai Lama XVI
All we are saying is give peace a chance.
The late John Lennon, former member of the Beatles, assassinated in 1980
Grant us peace
Of course, much of my sense of peace comes from my spiritual practice. Check out some of my blogs about meditation practices that can help you build a spiritual foundation. This survey of prayer methods will help you find what fits your unique spirit. Finding a prayer routine will very likely help you be more at peace.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite songs, “Dona Nobis Pacem;” it’s a prayer meaning “grant us peace.” Written by Mozart, one of my favorite composers, this song is sung in the round with numerous variations on the theme. I learned it as a church kid, and I love it, especially when my spirit needs a lift. A choir from Zurich, the Laudate Chor, sings this version. Enjoy.
Blessings on your peace-ful journey. Imagine.
