Shalom

[goforgoal]

Shalom

Jesus in the Beginning of the whole enterprise and the end towards which the whole enterprise moves.

Jesus means Shalom. Shalom means a number of things. It is the richest notion of Jewish culture and religious being. It means: wholeness, integrity, concordance, truth, balance, harmony, symphony, peace.

SHALOM is the work of God. God makes harmony, truth, peace, etc. occur.

There are four levels of shalom in Jewish understanding:

1). SELF-Shalom first takes place at the level of SELF. (Not self-centeredness) but the self that is pleased by who he/she is in the integrity of his/her person.

2). IN RELATIONSHIP TO ONE’S NEIGHBOUR-Jesus is the vehicle and instrument of Shalom.

3). ENVIRONMENT-This environment can be your room, home, etc. God wills to make the environment SHALOM. Oppression is an environment that is anti-shalom.

4). GOD-This is a relationship of peace and love. The uniqueness of the person refracts the revelation of God.

JESUS is shalom of the living God. Jesus is the, “I love you” of the living God. Jesus tenders the mercy of the living God. If you encounter Jesus you are face to face with God’s mercy.

Jesus is SHALOM, and asked this of his disciples in five ways:

1). ENTHUSIASM for the Coming of the Kingdom of God. Jesus was convinced that the Reign was about to take place. There is urgency in his message. God’s kingdom has arrived: Experience of wholeness, mercy, hospitality, etc. The JOY of the Good News is unspeakable.

2). CONVERSIONS OF HEART as way of life for his disciples. Not a dichotomous event, but a conversion of heart as a “way of viewing the world.” Turning away from what delays, inhibits the Kingdom. Turning to what makes it come. It is a continuous project, one of becoming agents of Shalom.

3). RESPECTS OF PERSONS Jesus speaks, acts, receives with respect. There is nothing more important than PERSONS. Jesus NEVER moralized. He challenges you with the Kingdom then, he lets you answer.

4). LOVING SERVICE OF OTHERS The Gospel feeds people, clothes them. All rabinical laws come down to a “glass of water.”

5). PRAYER Jesus is committed to prayer as the breathing of the Kingdom. Prayer as the tuning of oneself to the Living God.

The enterprise must stand the test of the Spirituality of Jesus and the Values of Jesus.

 

[Trishie]

Thank you for your enriching meditation…but I’m a little puzzled. Jesus means in Hebrew: “God saves” or “salvation”. Yeshua is a Hebrew name which has been translated into Greek as “Iesous”. The name “Jesus” comes from the Latin translation of the Greek into “Iesus”. “Yeshua” is the original Aramaic name for Jesus.

 

[goforgoal]

Trishie-I received this when I went to a weekend retreat from Sisters of the presentation of Mary. Actually, if you look at most of my Threads you will see “writings” most of them came from them. The one on Vocation about “How do I know?” I received in a letter from the Poor Clare Nuns

I strongly feel that need to “share” what they (Sisters of the Presentation of Mary and Poor Clare Nuns) gave me.

Trishie or anyone reading this I’m not saying I know “everything” I still have A LOT to discover and so forth and I’m not really that great at putting my thoughts into words.

Perhaps, why they stated Jesus is shalom is because of what shalom means/represents-wholeness, integrity, concordance, truth, balance, harmony, symphony, peace.

 

[Trishie]

They may have expressed it this way because Jesus brings peace. Jesus brings the only peace that really matters, and often blessed people with peace. “My peace I give to you.” [John 14:27]Jesus doesn’t mean peace, but He signifies peace…so I guess that this may explain their presentation.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia
"The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew Jeshua, or Joshua, or again Jehoshua, meaning “J… is salvation.” ’

The spirit in which the nuns spoke is true, but in the letter not.

Even so, a wonderful and valuable meditation. Thank you for sharing it with us