Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace …” The Gospel according to St. Luke puts these lyrics into the angels’ song at Jesus’ birth, and we repeat them in the Gloria at Christmas and at most Sunday Masses. The prophet Isaiah said that the Messiah would usher in a Kingdom of Peace, and Christians believe that peace is a sign of Christ’s presence.
Before he died, Jesus promised his disciples the gift of peace: “Peace I give you; my peace I leave you.” We recall these words as we make peace with our neighbor before receiving the body of the risen Christ in Holy Communion. The first words of Jesus after he rose from the dead were: “Peace be with you.”
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