Peace.

It is a word many of us hold close, yet often feel slipping through our fingers. We watch a world torn by conflict and cruelty and wonder if peace is something we will only ever long for. We make our attempts, of course. We vote for leaders who promise stability. We donate to organizations working in the places where peace feels most fragile. We try to mend what is broken by doing something, anything, that might make things better.

But Jesus shows us another way. He believed in peace on earth while living in a world that looked far too much like ours. He knew violence, division, and injustice. He also knew how easily our hearts can grow weary. Still, he lived as someone who sought not only to find peace, but to embody it. His life teaches us that faithful living is not only about confronting the systems that steal peace on a large scale, but also about speaking calm into the small and ordinary storms right in front of us.

Lately, I have been reminded how true this is. Life has its own swirl of complexities right now, some beautiful and some heavy. There are decisions to make, situations to navigate, people to care for, and moments where quiet feels like a rare gift. Peace is something I am learning to seek not only in the big picture, but in the next conversation, the next prayer, the next breath. Sometimes peace looks less like a solved problem and more like a softened heart.

So may we remember that “peace on earth” is not just a hope for faraway places, but a calling planted right here in the places we live and work and love. May we become people who offer steadiness rather than hurry, compassion rather than reaction, presence rather than panic. May we be the calm that helps someone else find their footing.

The peace of Christ be with you, and through you.