Shalom and the Sharp Ironies of Christmas

All of Christendom celebrates every year the birth of Christ whom Scripture identifies as the Prince of Peace. Yet, in many countries where Catholicism and Christianity are the most common religions, peace has remained elusive. Here are a few examples of what I mean:

Trouble Spots

• Throughout predominantly Catholic Latin America, political strife has prevailed in Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador for as long as anyone can remember.
• Likewise, political instability triggered by a rapid economic decline and hyperinflation has gripped Venezuela. Thousands of Venezuelans flee for their lives every day, often on foot, to escape anarchy and an inept and corrupt government.
• In Mexico, thousands have been killed by elements of organized crime.
• In France, where about three-fifths of the population is Catholic, recent civil unrest and anti-government protests have spread. Most citizens object to increased hydrocarbon taxes, and the government’s unjust changes in workers’ pension systems, among other economic and social issues.
• In Northern Ireland where Catholicism is the predominant religion, almost 3,500 people died in the face of political violence between 1969 and 1999, according to a 2019 Congressional report. Known as “the Troubles”, the conflict emanated from the division of Ireland in 1921 caused by a struggle among various cultural and religious groups fighting for their own identities.
• The embattled chief executive of Hong Kong is a Roman Catholic, but her tenure has recently been plagued by lawlessness. At one point, she has actually condemned the actions of the millions of desperate pro-democracy protesters who have taken to the streets for months to challenge a controversial extradition bill.

Closer to home for me, in southern Philippines, where more than 80% of the population is Catholic and where Catholicism is the official state religion, the government has struggled for decades to topple an insurgency movement that has ruined and claimed countless lives, and destroyed property and social and economic infrastructure. Government troops are no match for the so-called “mighty” and dangerous elements of the New People’s Army (NPA), the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Peace talks between the government and the CPP have been reopened and then stalled many times. And if they have agreed on one thing, it is made up of the most hypocritical stuff: the two parties agree on a ceasefire during Yuletide – thereafter, they resume their hostilities!

Where is Shalom?

Where then is Shalom, Christ’s gift of peace? How can Christ be found in Christian nations torn by war and chaos? It seems there is an abysmal gap between belief in Christ as the source of peace, on one the hand, and practice rooted in self-interest, on the other. Or is there a distorted belief in Christ and a warped concept of peace?

No other word can describe more accurately the message and spirit of Christmas than Shalom. (The English “peace” is a poor equivalent.) Shalom is so rich in meaning that it can only be defined descriptively.

Not a Static Gift

Writing for the Liguorian magazine, Redemptorist Fr. Robert Earl says that the root meaning of Shalom denotes harmony, health, integrity and wholeness in inseparable combination. “It refers to the state of the first man when nature was in harmony, evil was unknown, and disease, death and hatred were beyond the limits of man’s experience,” he says.

“Peace is not a static gift to be accepted and rested in,” he says. “It is also a demand…a possession in faith, love and trust of Christ. It is a demand to develop shalom within ourselves first, then share it with others”.

More than a Mental State

Shalom is more than a state of mind – it is a real condition where there is no trace of misunderstanding, bitterness or resentment. It is a condition where real brotherhood exists. As Pope St. Paul VI said: “Christmas is the harbinger of peace, but peace should start within the individual, in one’s heart. Unless peace springs from the heart, no other peace – social, religious or political – may follow.”

At Mass, the members of the congregation are asked to “offer each other the sign of peace” by a bow of the head or a handshake. But have we ever thought of it beyond its being a ritual? Have you ever experienced that, until the sign of peace is felt deeply in our hearts, the rite can be quite annoying?

More Than an Absence of Hatred

Shalom is more than a ceasefire, or absence of hatred and animosity. It goes far beyond the symbol of peace at Mass when the faithful utter the wish “peace be with you.”

The phrase “peace on earth and mercy mild” in the Christmas carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing must therefore have a much deeper meaning today than when it was first sung two centuries ago.

Christmas ought to mean peace. Shalom makes Christ more than a messenger of peace: He is the very source of peace. He is peace itself.

In everyday life, Shalom demands that we show graciousness to those whom we disagree with and in situations when we’re in a fix. It requires an effort to understand those who irritate us and brotherhood with those who differ from us in skin color, age, creed, social status, or state in life. It demands the most difficult of Christ’s commandments: to love the unlovable.