Continued 👇🏾
✍🏾In another part of the Liturgy, the Church prays for the peace of the country, saying:
“O Lord, grant Your peace to the country, and Your truth to the Church.”
✍🏾 The venerable Abba Dioscorus also prays, saying:
“O Lord, give Your peace to the country and Your truth to the Church. O King of Peace, Jesus Christ, grant us Your peace, forgive us our sins, and make us worthy to go and enter our homes in peace.”(Liturgy of Dioscorus)
✍🏾 Before the distribution of the Holy Body and Precious Blood, the Church calls everyone to give thanks, saying:
“In peace and love, praise and sing to Jesus Christ.”
✍🏾 At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the faithful pray for the blessing of peace, saying:
“Amen. May God bless us, His servants, with peace.”
✍🏾The Church calls God the God of peace. That is why she declares in her prayers, “God is peace.” She also glorifies Jesus Christ, the foundation and crown of all, saying: “Jesus Christ, King of Peace, and Prince of Peace.”
✍🏾 Saint Ephrem, in the Hail Mary, says: “He has made peace among us,” and explains how and by what power this peace was given: “By His cross and His holy resurrection.” Through Him, our Lord Jesus Christ, we have received true peace. This echoes the teaching of the Apostle Saint Paul, who said: “He made peace through the blood He shed on the cross; by Him, He reconciled to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven.”
✍🏾 The Covenant Prayer (tselote kidam)begins with these words:
“Peace be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, and to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, through the grace of His cross and the grace of His help, for the sake of all the Christian people in the world.”
Through this prayer, the faithful ask that God’s presence and peace may be with all of us.
✍🏾The Church praises the Lord Jesus Christ as the Banner of Peace. As Saint Yared said in the Metshafe diguwa:
“The sign of peace has been born to us, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is the banner of our peace.”Abba Giorgis Zegascha, in the Prayer of the Hours, also says:
“The sign of peace, the sign of salvation, has been given to us through Him.”
✍🏾The Holy Church, which calls our Lord Jesus Christ the God of Peace, also calls His Mother, the Holy Virgin Mary, the Abode of Peace.
✍🏾The Church, in her prayer, says:
“Come, let us prise the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our peace, the Mother of the martyrs, the Sister of the angels, let us prostrate for the grace of our Mother Mary.”
This reminds us that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the abode of peace. She is the dwelling of our peace, Jesus Christ. Through her birth, we have received the peace that was lost.
✍🏾 The Church also praises her during the Hours, saying:
“Peace be upon you, O spiritual dove; we bow down to you.”
✍🏾 The holy apostles are remembered as the Apostles of Peace. For example, in the hymn celebrating the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul.
Continues 👇🏾