Peace And Good Will

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Savior. This final candle, the “Angel's Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men, and Women of course.

Our first reading is from the last of the four great prophets, Micah, who lived in the 8th century before Christ, perhaps the mid-700s. This reading is about someone bringing peace: “He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.”  

Micah was of humble origin and a fearless champion of the cause of the oppressed and underprivileged. He was blunt and could not remain silent while the stench of social sin offended both God and man. He was a prophet of social justice.

The Israelites who anxiously awaited deliverance from oppression and tyranny, are compared to a woman in labor. Micah predicted that peace would come with a promised Messiah from the royal line of David with Bethlehem being his birthplace.   

Micah obliges us to ask ourselves a most important question: Do we bring peace and deliverance to those around us – those who are close to us. It’s a good bet that many of us here today won’t or cannot bring that peace. We’re hurt; we are stubborn; we are hard-hearted; we are foolish. Some would say just plain stupid to separate ourselves from those we value and even love. We divide, not bind. 

Advent is about penance. So, all of us dividers, consider this passage from the letter to the Hebrews: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” How can we see the Lord this Advent without peace in our lives? Let’s look at the Advent Wreath candle we just lit. How can we sincerely light that peace candle if we refuse to be enlightened and moved to make peace with family and friends – even our adversaries and enemies?  We must not be hypocrites.

Micah predicted that peace is supposed to come from the promised Messiah. But for whom are we a Messiah – a Savior – bringing peace and giving comfort this Advent and then throughout the Christmas season?

Let’s consider our Gospel reading in which we heard about the infant John the Baptist who leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb, when Mary greeted Elizabeth during her visit. When we visit family and friends, do they leap for joy knowing we bring peace and good-will into their households, even if temporarily? 

During the Civil War in 1864 on Christmas Day, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about peace and good-will to men. His poem is appropriate for today’s time when civility appears to be in short supply. We are not at war with each other – north versus the south.

But at times it does seem like we are not-so-friendly neighbors with politics, social and religious issues, and dealing with our ongoing pandemic being sources of conflict making us question: will we be able to tolerate Christmas visits with those having vastly different and polarized points of view? 

Longfellow’s poem is entitled “Christmas Bells.”

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

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!

And in despair I bowed my head;

“There is no peace on earth,” I said;

“For hate is strong

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

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!” (end)

I’ll add: For this we pray on Christmas Day.

This Christmas and throughout the Christmas season will we hear the bells pealing, ringing loud and deep? Those bells will be tolling to remind us to make sure the wrong will fail and that which is good, true, and just will prevail. When that happens with our collective effort, we will have done our part to promote peace on earth and good-will to women, men, and our children.

Deacon David Pierce