Hello to each of you from the President’s desk!
Here we are approaching another Christmas for those of you who celebrate the birth of Christ. And we’re almost at the end of the year 2011.
The Jewish community is celebrating Chanukah on December 20 through 28 (for comprehensive information about Chanukah, visit Aleph Institute’s web site).
Can you believe it? I can’t, but, whether we believe it or not, it’s here!
I would like to take a moment, in all the hustle and bustle of the season and life in general, to encourage you in the area of peace.
The definition of peace is “a state of quiet or tranquility.” I like the Hebrew word for peace, “shalom,” which expresses the idea of wholeness. In Arabic, the word for peace is “salam.”
As we chaplains know, it can be very chaotic in prison at times. As people of faith, I believe if anyone should have and operate in peace, it should be us.
Can we be at peace in the midst of chaos? I believe we can.
Psalm 34:14 says:
“Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
Our peace is evidently not something that just happens, and it is definitely not based on our circumstances. If we are going to have peace and keep our peace we must do what is right.
What is right? Wrong is not always what we are doing, but what we are saying. Sometimes we need to “hold our peace” and not say anything that adds to the chaos.
Don’t allow the outward circumstances to steal your peace.
We can’t give something we don’t have. The people we are ministering to everyday are looking to us for guidance and direction. Let’s be people of our faith and not just talk about peace, but actually live it, so we can give it.
My prayer for each of you chaplains in the new year is peace, blessings, and protection. That you would continue in the work, that you have been called to do, with joy and peace in your hearts. Amen.
Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah!
Chaplain Brenda Libreatori
PPCA President
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