Sunday Messages

This Week’s Message

Walking the Pathway of Peace

Every year for the last 16 years we have celebrated the Week of Unity and Peace with special events and a Peace Dinner. This is the first year we are not going to celebrate due to unforeseen circumstances and schedules. For me, canceling was a difficult decision to make. However, after meditating and reflecting, I came to a place of peace about it. Spirit helped me see that bringing peace to the consciousness of our community for one week during the year was not the most important message of Peace Week, bringing peace to individual hearts is the most important, including my own.

And we can inspire others to bring peace to their hearts in new and different ways. There are infinite possibilities waiting.

One possibility is to share our personal peace practices. Our community spiritual practice this year is to walk the Pathways of Spirituality together. It’s no coincidence that this month we walk the Pathway of Peace. In doing the research and meditating about Peace to create this month’s lesson on peace, I learned something new. In the Hebrew language, the word for peace is “shalom.” Shalom not only means “peace,” but it also means “wholeness” and “completeness.”

When we achieve peace, we also achieve wholeness. We cannot be complete “humans being” until we are whole – when all parts of us are at peace and in alignment with that peace. Peace is recognizing our connection with the Holy Spirit of All Life – the Creator. (God doesn’t care what word you use to describe the indescribable power of all life, because the concept of that Sacred Spirit is so far beyond any words or names we can conceive. Words are irrelevant. What matters is your connection to All That Is, to the Sacred.)

When our connection to our Sacred Source is open and clear, we feel the power of all things spiritual – especially Love and Peace. Most of the focus of spiritual paths is on Love, but Love without Peace is incomplete, and Peace without Love is also incomplete. The two go hand in hand.

The goal of most spiritual teachings is to realize the Peace of God and that is also to realize the omnipotent Love of God.

Right now in many of our families and neighbors are unhappy and upset. The same things are happening in our community. This past week, a person went on a driving rampage here in Montrose and seriously injured 3 people before escaping on foot. In our nation, people are up in arms, demonstrating, using violence, shooting, and attacking each other with vile words and comments, especially in the political scene. Around the world the horrors of war are happening to innocent people and children, hostages are dying. Leaders withhold needed supplies for survival, others are trying to eliminate those cultures whom they believe are not worthy. And what is happening to the environment and other life forms is almost unbearable. How are we to make a difference for peace in these times?

By increasing our mindfulness about our own peace practices. The more each of us keeps our thoughts on peace, speaks more peaceful words, and accomplishes more peaceful deeds, the sooner peace will grow and radiate to others and out into the world.

Let’s take a moment right now to take in a breath of Light and radiate Peace as we breathe out. Breathe in Light and Breathe out Peace. Breathe in Light and breathe Peace. This is a great spiritual practice to do often during the day and before you go to sleep at night. Let your last thoughts be about Peace and your Inner Self will focus on bringing more Peace throughout the night. Your dreams will become actions for Peace.

We can also bless all those situations and people who make us uncomfortable and unpeaceful. The moment you realize you have dropped out of peace, stop and do the Peace breath, change your perspective and radiate peace instead of worry and stress. Send blessings to those situations and people you have let disturb your peace. Continue sending blessings and breathing Peace until you return to your Inner Peace.

It does not matter what the other person is doing or saying, what matters is what you think, feel, speak and do with Peaceful intent. Peace and stress cannot hold the same space at the same time. Fill the sacred space around you with Peace and it will automatically begin to radiate outward. You can’t contain Peace in any one place, it will always seek out the areas where peace is needed.

Another way to practice peace is to stop trying to control outcomes. Divine Order will prevail no matter what we do, so it is best to let it take over and unfold. Sometimes we are so focused on what we want and how we are going to get there that we forget there are many goals and many different ways to achieve them. We put on blinders and can only see one perspective. Being in peace is to recognize there are many perspectives and each of them is equally valid.

This means there are no judgments, even though everyone who has an opinion wants you to choose judgement. We also have the option to choose not to judge. Stepping back into the Observer position is often helpful when we start to feel judgmental. Observers look at the facts and weigh the best resolutions before choosing a plan of action. Bringing peace into the resolutions enhances the Presence of the Divine in everyone’s life.

Over the next few weeks, let’s share our peace practices with one another so we can learn how to be more peaceful and radiate that peace. What do you do to bring yourself back to peace? I remember as a child being told to count to ten. How many of you were told the same strategy? What else were you told?

Peace is in our hands. Peace is not someone else’s responsibility. Peace is my responsibility and your responsibility. Let’s be responsible Humans Being and walk the Pathway of Peace. Namaste.