It's my hour to be in prayer for shalom in the world. This Lenten prayer vigil is sponsored by the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. Somewhere in this conference, 24 hours a day, for the duration of Lent, someone is praying for shalom. This word is being used rather than "peace" because the latter is so narrowly understood in the English language, or at least in the U.S. Shalom, on the other hand, has the potential for communicating so much more. It is about being in right relationship with all of creation -- the earth itself and all living things and the Creator of it all.
I turned off the TV and entered into the silence. Then my Indian ringneck parrot, Papagayo, did what he always does when things get quiet. He started chattering, running through the Spanish vocabulary we have taught him in his three short years of life.
Alo! (Hello)
Papagayo!
Que tal, Diana? (How are you, Diana? -- the cockatiel in the cage next to him.)
Buenos Dios (Hello! Good Day!)
Te amo, Carolita (I love you, Carol)
Quiero comida, Carolita (I want food, Carol)
Quiero comida, por favor, Carolita, pronto! (I want food please, Carol, right now!)
Pajaro bueno (good bird)
For Papagayo, you see, it's all about him. Now, I don't know how much of this chatter he really understands. He does say "Alo" whenever I come into the room, sometimes before I get a chance to. So that seems to be appropriately understood and used. And sometimes he says, "Quiero comida, pronto," before breakfast, as though asking for me to get on task. But then, here, like tonight, he says it even after he has just eaten.
Sam and I started a week or so ago beginning to teach him, "La paz del Senor." (The peace of the Lord.) Too bad it's not a part of his repertoire yet, in time for this prayer vigil. No, he just wants his own needs met. And so his innocent chatter, using his limited vocabulary, makes me think of how much focusing on our own needs is the opposite of wishing shalom for another.
As a clergy person, I'm amazed how wide the range of people I see really is. Some only speak of themselves and their ailments and issues. They can relay every ache and pain and sadness of their lives with little or no prompting. Others are truly saints of God whose lives are about ministering to others. They know themselves and what's going within their own hearts, souls and minds, but choose to turn their focus outward. They truly care whether another person is in right relationship with his or her self, family, community, the earth, and most of all with God. And they know how to bring healing and reconciliation. These are the shalom makers of the world. Jesus said they are very blessed. I think so too.
