A Peaceful Walk to 17

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. On this day we light the second violet candle on the Advent Wreath. This candle is called the Candle of Peace. It symbolizes the prophets who foretold of Christ's coming.

This week the world lost a man who was perhaps one of the greatest peace-seekers of our time. Nelson Mandela not only spoke of peace, he modeled it. His words are a beautiful gift and perfect reflection for this Sunday.

It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black. I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.

When I walked out of prison, that was my mission, to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor both. Some say that has now been achieved. But I know that that is not the case. The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed. We have not taken the final step of our journey, but the first step on a longer and even more difficult road. For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. 

~Nelson Mandela

Mr. Mandela's time on earth has ended. It is up to us now to climb those hills. In what ways can you be a peacemaker in your world this week? Is there someone you need to forgive in order to bring peace to your own heart?