A boy once told me: It was Christmas. But it was not a holiday of peace. Dad had more to drink than usual. When he came home, he was sick. Everything was in his way. In the evening, we all cried my siblings and my mother. And Dad slept on the couch. Was this supposed to be a holiday of peace?

Another story: as long as a colleague is out of the office, we’re in heaven. We rejoice when she’s sick or on vacation because there’s always fire on the roof when she’s with us. Restlessness. She always finds a cause and a scapegoat.

On the other hand, we love to remember the places, the people where we had a fantastic experience from which we took away a great treasure – peace.

Jesus wishes for the apostles and that we may have as many such experiences as possible, where peace reigns and triumphs. Jesus expects us peace: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. But I do not give to you as the world gives” (Jn 14:27).

In the East, it is customary that when people say goodbye, they wish for peace: shalom, lechem! Peace be with you! Or: Peace be with you! When Jesus says goodbye to his disciples, he expects them to be at ease at the end of the first part of his discourse. But this peace is not superficial, insignificant, or deceptive as we often experience in our lives. Still, Jesus is speaking here of peace from God from above. Jesus is filled with it, and that is why he wants to give it to his apostles. There is great peace of love between Jesus and the Father. This peace can bring peace of mind and confidence to the apostles.
Jesus commissioned the apostles to spread his teaching. Therefore, the apostles are also to carry the peace of Jesus into the world. They are to teach the world peace. And that is why in his words, Jesus explains to them that this peace is from the heavenly Father who created this world.

Scientists from all areas of the macro or microcosm say that there is a fantastic movement around us. But they also say that this movement is different from the one we experience in our lives. They say that even though there is unusual movement, it makes you feel at peace. Everything is in its place. Everything has a mission, a position, and a function. We say that God the Father has made this world so immensely beautiful and perfect, before which scientists of world renown take their hats off when they speak of the Lawgiver of this fantastic nature.
We cannot speak of such peace in our lives. The constant tension, the rush, the hurry. Yes, it is movement. But this movement, this haste, cannot satisfy a man. Man does not find peace, or enrichment, quite the contrary. The word peace ceased to be pronounced, but the world has lost the actual content of the word. The word peace must first find its original content, and only then can we move on.

We, believers, say that the peace of Christ is the gift of God. Therefore, man can prepare himself to receive it by loving and obeying God. Whoever denies the peace of Christ cannot speak of true peace. Christ teaches us about peace, which is based on love. St. John the Apostle wrote: God is love, which means that there can be no peace where there is no love.

In vain will we speak of disarmament, of helping others, if there is no real and true love within us. It is necessary and desirable to see that peace reigns in the world. But we must remember that we must first strive for peace in our hearts, our families, and where we live. Without this sequence, we will never be able to say that real consensus exists or that we are striving for it.

Today’s words also apply: As I am, so is my family. As is my family, so is the town or village where I live. As is the village, so is the state. As are the countries, so is the world.
Peace can never put up with pretense, egoism, or trying to subjugate a brother by force. Peace means giving oneself. To know how to forget, to forgive, to forgive, to be able to see God in one’s neighbor. So, what does this mean for us in practice?

Did the father see God in his children and wife? No. That’s why he fell asleep in the pew, and his loved ones couldn’t say that Christmas was a holiday of peace for them.
Can any colleague say of a co-worker that she is a Christian when she keeps finding cause and reason to spread unrest in the workplace?
Many people say more about us tomorrow than they do today that they feel good around us. By our approach to life, let us not only show peace on our faces but, above all, let us have it in our hearts.