Ordinary Time

Pause

“My peace I give you.” “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Jesus

As Christians, we're called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus as peacemakers. This peace appears to have two pursuits: internal and external. There’s the peace we seek within our own hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits. And there’s the peace we seek to enact in the world.

Pause. Inhale. Breathe in the peace of Christ.

Pause. Exhale. Breathe out the peace of Christ.

As you breathe with the scriptures this week, may you learn that you cannot exhale without inhaling, nor can you inhale without exhaling. So too, may you discover the single pursuit of peace.

Listen

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He lets me rest in grassy meadows; he leads me to restful waters; he keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths for the sake of his good name.

Psalm 23:1-3

Think

“I lack nothing.” Simplicity is the key to finding happiness in less. I recently watched the documentary Happy directed by Roko Belic. In it, they look at happiness around the world and ask questions like, does more stuff make people more happy? Turns out, a man in the slums of India who lives in a shack with no running water can be happier than the average American.

Yet, Americans account for less than 5% of the world’s population and over 33% of global consumption. It would take three Earths to feed the world’s population at the rate at which Americans eat.

Is it any wonder why there’s conflict in the world when there’s such disparity?

In other translations of Psalm 23, “I lack nothing,” reads, “I shall not want.” Perhaps that’s a better word for us in the affluent western world. Could there be a correlation between wanting less and greater peace? Sounds like the kind of holy experiment Jesus would be interested in supporting.

Tim Moore

Pray

God, help me to want less. Lessen the things that I want and lessen the very act of wanting. Help me to find the proper path of happiness with less. Help me to live in such a way that all can be led to grassy meadows and restful waters. Amen.

Go

Go in the peace of Christ to give the peace of Christ to others.