BECOMING BEGGARS OF PEACE: a “love zone” from Lebanon

Matthew 5:9  “Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children! (GNB)

I recently came across a quote from the late Pope Francis, who pleaded with ordinary citizens and governing officials to have the “audacity of peace.”  “In a world where everything speeds by, only the end to war seems slow,” the pope wrote in his address.  “Let us not be afraid to become beggars for peace,”

While contemplating this truth, another message reached my desk.  This time it came in the form of a testimony from our partners in Lebanon.  The head of the Christian centre in the Beqaa Valley wrote the following:

” This Easter, we felt led to share the story of Jesus with our students, even though all of them (are Syrian refugees and) come from Muslim backgrounds. We knew it might not be easy. But we also knew this: love, when shared with sincerity and gentleness, always finds a way. So, we had a special “Love Zone” day. We gathered the students to watch a short Easter video, played joyful games, created craft and decorated eggs, we shared a warm lunch, and told them the Easter story…not with pressure, but with care. To our surprise, they listened with attention, smiled, asked questions, and enjoyed every moment. Their hearts were open.

But what moved us most came afterwards. A few days later, the mother of one of our students reached out to us. Her son had gone home and shared what he experienced and learned during our Easter gathering. Touched by what he said and by the changes she’d been noticing in him, she decided to do something unexpected. She sent a gift to the center. Sweets for all the children. A gesture of celebration. A sign of love. When we thanked her, she said words that brought tears to our eyes: “Every day, I see a small change in my child. This year, he told me about Easter, and I felt we should celebrate it too with you. You always share everything with us. So this time, we wanted to share something with you.” It was simple. It was small. But it was sacred. Because for the first time, Easter wasn’t just something we shared, it was something that was shared back with us ( this is not common from people from a Muslim background) and in that moment, we saw it clearly: the love of Christ is not one-way. It flows in and through and around, reaching hearts in quiet, miraculous ways. Even in places where you think it may never be welcomed.”

Reading this testimony reminded me once again that the peace of Christ, when offered with genuine sincerity and gentle humility, always finds a path forward. Like love, peace is never a one-way journey—it moves and flows in both directions, even in places where we might least expect it or believe it to be unwelcome.

Sadly, the concept of peace has been distorted by some Christian leaders into a one-way movement, often ending up in a cul-de-sac of accusations.  Think about Gaza.  We have equated peace with victory over enemies and the triumphant eradication of “evil.” Prayers for the “peace of Jerusalem” are often offered with the belief that peace can only be achieved by defeating Hamas.  This makes peace a one-way journey —a sentiment not rooted in scripture and not found in the teachings of Christ.

The Hebrew word for “peace,” shalom, often signifies a state of calm and tranquillity within individuals, communities, and nations. Meanwhile, the Greek word eirene conveys the idea of “unity and accord,” a term Paul uses to describe the goal of the New Testament church. However, at its core, the deeper essence of peace lies in “the spiritual harmony brought about by an individual’s restoration with God.”

The ultimate solution to ending global conflicts and alleviating human suffering therefore, lies in a peace that springs from an individual’s restoration with God. It is the Church—and the Church alone—that holds the key to healing a fractured world.  Peace must first flow from within outwards to the least deserving and at the same time from outward inwards to receive undeserved grace.  We must embrace our calling and become humble conduits of peace.

A prominent Christian leader in Israel recently strongly condemned the late Pope Francis for “welcoming Palestinian representatives to the Vatican.” This objection underscores a profound misunderstanding of Biblical peacemaking, which calls for a clear discernment between exercising dominion – a one-way peace solution – and embracing reconciliation – a two-way solution.  The supreme example is found in the Crucified Christ, who achieved peace not through domination, but by yielding—even though He possessed the power and authority to do so.

POPE FRANCIS

And this brings me back to the quote from the late Pope Francis, a leader who will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to peace, who described himself as “a beggar for peace” before his passing on Easter Monday 2025.

In a message to religious and political leaders gathered at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate in September  2023, Pope Francis pleaded with ordinary citizens and governing officials to have the “audacity of peace.”  “In a world where everything speeds by, only the end to war seems slow,” the pope wrote in his address.  The Berlin Wall used to pass by the Brandenburg Gate and when the wall came down in 1989, Pope Francis said, it led many to “hope of a new world peace following the Cold War. Unfortunately, over the years, the promise of such a future was not built on this common hope, but on special interests and mutual mistrust,” the pope said. And “instead of tearing down walls, more walls have been erected.”

“Sadly, it is often a short step from wall to trench,” he said.

Pope Francis quoted from his speech at the Colosseum: “The plea for peace cannot be suppressed: it rises from the hearts of mothers; it is deeply etched on the faces of refugees, displaced families, the wounded and the dying. Let us not be afraid to become beggars for peace,” Pope Francis wrote. “Let us continue to pray for peace without losing heart, to knock with a humble and insistent spirit at the ever-open door of God’s heart and at the doors of humankind,” he wrote. “Let us ask that ways to peace be opened, especially for beloved and war-torn Ukraine (and Gaza) . Let us trust that the Lord always hears the anguished cry of his children.”

A UNIQUE CONSECRATION

The ultimate purpose of engagement and dialogue from a Christian perspective is redemption.  It is a unique consecration entrusted to redeemed people.  If we do not engage in peace by the way we talk and the way we act, we relinquish our spiritual duty of being peacemakers.

It is no coincidence that Jesus blessed the peacemakers and said they will be called Children of God (Matthew 5:9).  There can therefore be no higher calling within the Kingdom of God, as children of God, to pursue the heart of our Father.  This is the same Father that redeemed the radical persecutor Saul to become the radical apostle Paul.  BUT, God needed a peacemaker servant to introduce the “enemy” to the saints (Acts 9:27).  And He found Barnabas, the son of encouragement and a man of peace, full of the Holy Spirit.

Peacemakers are special people.  They possess the unique quality needed to look beyond prejudice, self-preservation and dualism to intervene as reconcilers.

• Peacemakers talk WITH people, not ABOUT people.
• Peacemakers extend grace to all conflicting parties, especially those who least deserve it.
• Peacemakers seek solutions, they don’t dwell on obstructions.
• Peacemakers engage the marginalized, they don’t give preference to the favoured.
• Peacemakers pursue reconciliation through inclusion, not alienation by exclusion.
• Peacemakers listen – to all – even the enemies of their allies.
• Peacemakers do not seek popularity in order to feed their egos, they seek peace in order to relieve the hardship of the innocent.

But most of all, peacemakers are impartial

The challenge with modern-day Christianity is that we tend to see ourselves as the defenders of faith and protectors of truth.  We see it as a spiritual duty and a Godly virtue to observe conflicts, and then decide who is guilty and defend the side of those who represent our interpretation of truth.  We become partial, intolerant, and demonstrate noble convictions in barbaric ways.  We demonize the opposition, speak up for what is right, and then encourage intolerance towards those who think differently.  We believe that Scripture hates compromise and that tolerance is a sign of weakness.

Please don’t read this wrong.  This principle is not about compromising our convictions or even tolerating evil.  The principle is about representing an impartial platform for two fighting parties to reconcile, firstly with God and then with one another, regardless of what we hold as truth.

Sadly, party politics have hijacked the impartiality of many believers.  We became judge, accuser, and defender all at once while we were only called to be witnesses.  Without impartiality, there can be no reconciliation, no peace, and no hope.

Only when we as believers support endeavours of reconciliation will peace turn into redemption.  And only when redemption prevails will peace be lasting.  Let us become beggars of peace!

Are you able to look at people beyond your political, racial, cultural, and religious convictions?