Our Venerable Father Macarius of Egypt (c. 390)
1 Peter 3:10-22; Mark 12:18-27
Read 1 Peter 3:10-22
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
It is no coincidence that in the liturgical services of the Eastern Christians Churches, the first three petitions ask the Lord for peace. Peace is indispensable for prayer; its source is God, and it is desperately needed in the whole world.
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware writes, concerning peace: “Peace is not self-centered. It is outward looking, ecstatic, generous, and practical.” Our world today lacks this peace. Reading the news or browsing social media reveals how much peace is lacking in what has unfortunately become an increasingly polarized and divisive world. The peace much of our world seeks after is a peace on personal terms, one that vilifies to create the illusion of peace through subjection. This is not the peace from above nor the peace that Christ gives to His apostle. That peace unites; this peace further divides.
Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. day in the United States; a day which remembers a man who strove to live the peace of Christ in this world. The protests he led sought to unite people in peace. Speaking about peace, he said: “One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peacefulness through peaceful means.”
Just as our liturgical prayer begins “in peace” so too must every interaction begin with and seek peace.