You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
- John Lennon, Imagine

Yesterday, Yoko Ono celebrated the 67th birth anniversary of her husband, John Lennon, by unveiling the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland. According to the Reuters report, Ono created this light sculpture as a birthday gift for the revolutionary Beatles leadsinger. From now on, it will light up the Icelandic sky each year from October 9th to December 8th (the death anniversary of the revolutionary Beatles leader who was assassinated outside his New York apartment). During the unveiling ceremony, Ono said, I hope that when the light from the tower will shine, the world will pause for a time and imagine peace.

But first things first, What is peace?

Peace be with you!
For those of us who hear(or used to hear) mass regularly, we are aware of the part of the mass where we offer each other the sign of peace. I’m sure you’ve also noticed that the word peace appears in many parts of the mass. We say it in the Gloria when we say, Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth. And the priest says it immediately after the Lord’s Prayer when he says, Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. And so again, I ask the question, What is peace? What is this peace that we offer each other and that we always pray for?

According to Merriam-Webster, peace is a noun that refers to
1) a state of tranquillity or quiet: as a : freedom from civil disturbance b : a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom
2) freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
3) harmony in personal relations
4) a : a state or period of mutual concord between governments
b : a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
5) used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell

Now that I know what we mean by peace, the next question I asked myself was, Do I have peace?

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
With regard to personal peace, I could only use definitions 2 and 3 to check whether I have peace within my self.

Questions:
1) Do I have freedom fom disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions? My Answer: Sometimes (I have this habit of questioning the way things are around me. I can’t help it. I’m a Virgo and I’m a middle-child) ;-)
2) Do I have harmony in personal relations? My Answer: Most of the time. (Let’s be honest, it’s not that easy being in a relationship. You will always encounter difficulties along the way. But hey, it’s usually after the couple resolves the troubles and fights that the relationship gets stronger - Could this be the reason why it’s so good to kiss and make-up?) :-)

My self-assessment: I may not always have peace within my self, but I am a firm believer that as long as I yearn for peace, as long as I imagine peace, there will always be calm after the (emotional) storm. I don’t believe that there is such a thing as having peace every second of every day. That will make life boring. Instead, I believe that having “disquieting and oppressive thoughts” helps us stretch our abilities and limits. And in the process, we find peace.

This reminds me of the movie, Evan Almighty. God said to Evan’s wife, “If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?”

Following this train of thought, I now know what God gives me if I pray for peace.

Questions
I was able to enjoy a few minutes of satisfaction after my reflection. But of course it didn’t last long because the questioning side of my mind bombarded me with a few more questions. You see, a few days ago I got an email from my friend Gitz about the shocking murder of Councilor Armin Marin on Sibuyan Island. I looked for more information online and found two articles in Inquirer.

I would like to express my deepest condolences to Councilor Marin’s bereaved family and friends. It is clear from his service records that he was a man of peace and he fought for truth and justice. We ask for justice! We demand justice for Councilor Armin Marin!

With this in mind, I began to question my previous reflection about praying for peace based on the script of Evan Almighty. Councilor Marin was peacefully protesting against the logging and mining in his hometown. He was shot dead in broad daylight in front of his own people. He now joins the ranks of many of our martyred heroes and historical figures, the likes of Jesus Christ, Jose Rizal, Mahatma Gandhi, John Lennon and Ninoy Aquino, who were also freedom fighters and advocates of peace but they were all killed violently.

We need to show those who bring harm to the peacemakers that they will pay for their crimes. Enough is enough! No more senseless killings!

A Reminder to Pinoy Peacemakers
I guess it’s obvious that if you pray for peace and justice, you also have to pray for divine and physical protection because as we’ve seen time and time again, your enemies will not hesitate to use violence against you.

And so as we join Yoko Ono in Imagining Peace for the world, we also imagine peace for our selves, our loved ones, and our country. We imagine peace for Councilor Armin Marin and we pray for justice for him. And of course, we also pray for the safety and well-being of all the “peacemakers” in the world, especially in our country. We haven’t had that much luck in the past when it comes to keeping our “peacemakers” and “freedom fighters” alive. Let’s hope that the 21st century will give us better luck.

 

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