Dona Nobis Pacem: November 2007

I grew up in a family that follows Christian traditions. Though we weren't part of the vast Roman Catholic majority in the Philippines (we were members of the Anglican Communion), we followed several of the same rites and rituals: going to mass on Sundays and on major religious holidays, reading and talking about the Bible, etc., etc.

Since then I've distanced myself from organized religion. That doesn't mean I'm an atheist, though. I still believe there's a higher, all-knowing, ever-present and all-loving spiritual Being, perhaps even transcending spirituality as our mortal minds grasp the concept. Whether he (she? it?) is God, Oprah, Allah, Buddha, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, I just don't know. But I believe, somehow.

But, there are several biblical concepts that have made their impression on me as I was growing up. Two of these come to mind today:

"My peace I leave with you, not as the world gives, give I to you."

and

"The peace of God that passes all understanding."

So maybe the concept of peace, as I've conceptualized it, is at the least, flawed and incomplete? When I wish for peace, I wish for the end of war, violence, poverty, hate. But guess what? Much greater people have prayed and wished for the same thing; but wars are still fought, violence is still committed on a daily basis, the numbers of the poor do not ever seem to decrease, people still go on hating. Has always been, still is now. Will it always be this way? We can't really say for sure, unless we possessed the same time-traveling powers that Hiro Nakamura and Peter Petrelli (and Kenzei/Adam???? WTF?) do (sorry, couldn't help mentioning my beloved Heroes TV show).

I read somewhere that when you pray or wish for something, the answer can come in a way that you don't expect. If you pray for more patience, the powers that be don't resolve all your patience-trying situations in one go. No, you're given even more stressful situations for you to develop the virtue of patience. If you pray for health, maybe you'll be given a wake-up call to make you realize the options available to you?

And if you pray for peace...well. Maybe the adversities we face on a daily basis, or new ones that come crashing out of nowhere--however trivial or catastrophic they may seem--are portals to finding the peace that has always been there, deep inside us. Constant, unwavering, faithful, in the face of trials and tribulations.

Dona nobis pacem. Give us peace. Can we accept a peace that passes all understanding? A kind of peace that's so radically different from what we know or expect it to be? I just don't know. Maybe sometimes we don't have to understand. Maybe sometimes we don't need to analyze and nitpicket all the changes that occur and wail and beat our breasts and cry out "Why me?" Maybe sometimes we don't need to understand; perhaps all that's needed is just to accept, make peace within (especially within) and without (as much as we can), and move on. Maybe we can't change the whole world, but perhaps changing our own will have an impact, however imperceptible, on others'.

Thank you, Mimi Lenox, for gathering those of us who would express what we would about that elusive entity called Peace. The next piece of cheesecake I have will be in honor of you, my dear. (As well as the next piece of crap the universe sees fit to dump on my ebony-maned -- but with an increasing grey population -- head.)