Peace is something I think we all desire. As we define it, we think of peace in a couple of different ways. It could mean no inner strife or turmoil in our lives. Peace is also used to indicate that there is no war or other kind of conflict going on in our world. We are at peace. We even have a Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” where we sing about peace on earth, good-will to men.” The song is based on a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, called “Christmas Bells.” It was written in 1863, and it reflects his thoughts on the Civil War. Longfellow was devastated by the division created between the North and the South over the issue of slavery. He was an abolitionist, and his poem mirrors his hope and anguish.
The poem has seven stanzas and the carol leaves out two. They are stanzas four and five and are as follows:
“Then from each black, accursed mouth the cannon thundered in the South, and with the sound the carols drowned of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
“It was as if an earthquake rent the hearth-stones of a continent, and made forlorn the households born of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
These lines convey the stark reality of war and the devastation they bring. I can’t help but wonder with all the war and strife in our world today, if Longfellow’s words could possibly remind us how bleak turmoil, in any form, really is. How destructive hate and anger are and the lasting wake of devastation it all leaves. War doesn’t have to be between two countries, it can also be the division we see between the two political parties in our country. Elected officials too busy pointing fingers at each other to stop and actually work for the people who elected them.
Whether it is in the form of actual war, or in the form of abuse and angry words that fill a relationship between two people, the aftereffects are there and tend to bleed into all other interactions. The only way toward healing is through. And it is difficult and hard work that takes years. Trust me. I know.
But the poem ends with words of hope that peace will prevail because the bottom line is that God is in control even though God still gave us free will to make our own choices. And we do not always choose well. So, I know we will one day have peace. The true peace that transcends anything we could understand this side of heaven.
And this peace is conveyed in the idea of “Shalom” that is used as both a greeting and a farewell. It acts as a blessing: “May your life be filled with all that is good and beneficial for you. May you have health, prosperity, love, and companionship. May you find contentment in your soul and may you live in peace with all creation.” Shalom is a word that indicates completeness and an absence of all that is ugly and wrong in our world. It is translated as peace, but it means so much more.
The final words of hope and peace offered by Longfellow are these:
“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth good-will to men!”
May your Christmas be filled with peace.
Shalom,
Beth
Beth's Blog 