“And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff.  But He passed through their midst and went on His way. . . Now when the day came Jesus left and went to a secluded place.”  The Gospel According to St. Luke, Chapter 4:28-30; 42

Of all the works done by Jesus this is might be His most impressive. 

Of all the miracles of Jesus, this might be His most amazing.

Of all the teachings about Jesus, this may be one of the most important.

And of all the chapters in the Bible this may be my favorite.

Why?  Simply put, “Peace in the midst of pandemonium.”

In this fourth chapter of Luke Jesus is portraying what it means to have internal peace.  A type of peace that cannot be shaken, no matter how much external chaos may be occurring.  Constantly confronted with those powers and principalities, those demons and devils that bring darkness, the forces of the faithless that foist fear upon the world, Jesus is the perfect picture of peace.  He calmly confronts the devils of this dark age and those upon whom they wreak havoc, not by meeting force with force or by appealing to or accessing some worldly power, but through the Spirit in which He is endued, and with which we are as well.    

One is repeatedly reminded that the Spirit of God is upon Jesus, as He is led into the wilderness, as He walks through the midst of those wanting to murder Him, as He speaks His life-giving and peace-bringing Word, and finally as He suffers at the hands of all who hate and are opposed to Him. He was called the Prince of Peace for a reason!  “Peace I leave with you, My peace I bring to you”, He says.  “Not as the world gives . . .”  The world doesn’t give peace because it is incapable of doing so. His peace does not find it’s source nor is it distributed in political movements, parties or people.  In fact they have, as we have and are witnessing, the exact opposite effect.   True peace comes from a Higher Power and a deeper source.  “Deep calls to Deep” as the psalmist says.  The peace that surpasses all understanding comes from both without and within.  Peace is a gift from the One who transcends this temporary life and the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  But this transcendent peace doesn’t just “happen”, it must be tapped into!  There must be a conscious, deliberate and dedicated practice of contemplation leading to self-awareness in which and through which one’s soul is settled, one’s spirit becomes serene, one’s countenance is calmed even and especially in the midst of the chaos. 

Deliberate practices for fostering peace and furthering one’s faith can certainly be sitting with the scriptures meditating on the message God is giving there.  But it can also be sitting quietly by a stream or under a tree or taking a walk in the peaceful surroundings of nature.  It can be shutting off one’s phone or computer, no longer watching the news, taking up a new hobby like yoga or knitting or pottery or painting.  It can be almost anything that your mind can imagine and that your heart desires that will distance you from the noise and distractions of daily life and take you to that secluded place where you can meet with the person that promises to provide perfect peace.

The fruit of Silence is Prayer.

The fruit of Prayer is Faith.

The fruit of Faith is Love.

The fruit of Love is Service.

The fruit of Service is Peace.

 Mother Teresa:  A Simple Path