Shalom

 The Spiritual Waiting Room

Shalom

Tranquility     Serenity

Lasting     Completing     Reposing

He Shall Be Peace

Coexistence

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: Micah 5: 1; 3 to 4a

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, who are the least from all the tribes of Judah, from you shall come forth for me the one who will rule over Israel; His origin is from of old, from the beginnings. He shall become the shepherd of the people because of the strength of the Lord and the great name of the Lord, His God. They shall dwell securely  because His greatness shall spread throughout the entire world: He shall be peace.

Reflection

From this tiny town of Bethlehem the prophet Micah tells us that a special person will come forward to lead Israel. 

We hear in our scripture reading that He has been around for a long time. He was here from the beginning Micah tells us; but it sounds like we have all missed Him. We wonder if "His origin is from of old", why does He have to come forth now?

Perhaps we have been too busy focusing on other issues. We have lost sight of the message. We all know that this is so easy to do. There are so many distractions. 

He will now be even more present to the People of God. He will become the Shepherd of Israel. That is such a beautiful image.

The Shepherd knows the sheep individually. He calls them by name. He cares for them. He leads them to a safe place. He protects them.

In a truly remarkable line, Micah tells us that "He shall be peace." This is an amazing thought.

The Shepherd will not just bring us peace. He will actually BE peace.

All of us search for true peace. We are upset at the division and hatred that we see around us. We look at the wars that seem to never end, the terrorist threats that make us uncomfortable, the senseless murders that we read about. We know that there must be something better.

Kathy's photo was taken from the broadcast of the Christmas Mass from St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve. We see the baby lying in the manger underneath the Word of God in the Book of the Gospels.

The baby that came forth from that tiny village of Bethlehem so long ago to Shepherd us to a safe place, a secure place, a place of Peace.

We ask for the grace to accept that Peace, to live that Peace, and to become Peace ourselves. We know that God will give us that strength. With that help we can all become peacemakers and spread that gift of Shalom throughout the whole world.

Peace be with you!

1. If the Shepherd has been around from the "beginning", why did He have to come into the world when He did?

2. How does the image of the shepherd speak to you?

3. What is true peace for you?

4. How can you BE peace?