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MAY 14
PRAYING IN PEACE
“In peace let us pray to the Lord.” (Beginning of the Great Litany of
Byzantine Liturgy)
This is the first petition, at the very beginning of Divine Liturgy, calling us
to pray “in peace.” How can I pray “in peace”? By handing everything over
to God and not worrying, as St. Paul says rather emphatically: “Do not
worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
So I need not muster up my own “peace,” but rather open myself up to
the peace of God, “which surpasses all understanding,” including my own
understanding, and hand over to Him, with thanksgiving, all my requests
and worries. “Peace” is a gift that comes from outside me, from “the God
of peace” (Rom 15:33), when I hand myself over to communion with
Him. His peace enables me, first, to make peace with myself, and then to
carry it beyond myself, in forgiveness and acceptance of others.
Today I open myself up to God’s peace, handing over my requests and
worries to Him. It is this gift, His peace, that likens me to Him as a child of
God, and brings happiness or “blessedness” to me and those around me:
“Blessed are the peacemakers,” says the Lord, “for they,” like Him, “shall
be called sons of God.” (Mt 5:9)
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