How We Named Our Blog
FROM THE DESK OF IELA GALIANO-WILLIAMS
I grew up in a church where every week we would pause at one point in the service to “pass the peace.” Snuck in between the children’s moment & the scripture reading, we would be invited to turn to the people around us, greet each other, shake hands, & say, “Peace of Christ.”
As we all began to turn to each other, the noise would slowly begin to grow & fill the sanctuary as you could hear laughter, some shouts from across the room & see silent peace signs being held up to those too far away to shake hands with. Inevitably the sound would begin to slowly die out as people returned to their seats, & then the pastor (my Dad) would have to gently quiet down the extroverts (my Mom) who had moved all around the room & were still deep in conversation.
It was a beautiful ritual of connection & when I began to think about the title for this blog, in light of the fact that PAX in Latin means peace, I realized that Passing the Peace would be the perfect fit.
The dream for this blog is that it becomes an online place to greet each other. To hear from people you may know well, or listen to voices that may at first feel unfamiliar.
In his book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says:
“Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them…he who can no longer listen to his brother [or sister] will soon be no longer listening to God either…”
We believe that at the heart of spiritual formation is listening. Learning to listen to God, yourself, & one another helps us grow deeper in awareness of both ourselves & God. We are made in God’s image & we each reveal a beautiful piece of God’s character. When we listen & greet one another in a symphony of voices, we are building connections that pass along the Peace of Christ.
This blog is a place to get to know one another & say hello as we share greetings, stories, & reflections written by our staff, spiritual directors, & guest writers. As you read, we invite you to think about what passing the peace means to you. What might it look like to take an intentional moment to pause & say hello to one another through these blog posts? To build a community that delights in the presence of one another as together we pass the peace & learn to listen to the presence of Christ in each of us.