When the Bible talks about peace, it means something more than just feeling comfortable and happy.
The Jewish word for peace is “shalom”.
Shalom describes a holistic and all-consuming peace that changes everything.
When Jesus says that He gives us peace, it is a peace that the world cannot give.
In the 1st reading, one of the descriptions of that God-given peace is in the form of consolation.
God consoles us and comforts us in our sorrows.
And in turn, we offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves.
When we are consoled and comforted by God, we will have peace.
That God-given peace is truly a blessing.
And that blessing is expressed in the Beatitudes that are taught by Jesus in the gospel.
Let us ask the Lord our God to bless us with His peace.
With God’s peace in our hearts, let us also be a blessing of peace for others.