Grace and peace. These are what St. Paul bestows in blessing upon the Colossians. We've all heard these words hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times, so often that we don't stop to think about what they really mean. As usual, the original Greek can offer us some insight.
The Greek word for grace is charis, and it typically means favor and kindness as well as grace. The word's root, however, adds another dimension to its meaning, for it denotes a leaning, an extension, and an inclination toward someone or something. Grace, then, is God leaning toward us, extending Himself toward us, inclining toward us in His kindness. Indeed, God's grace reaches out to provide us with more help and benefit than we can imagine, including and especially a share in God's very own life. By grace, God bends down to us that He may lift us up to Him.
The Greek word for peace, eirēnē, also brings to light a deeper meaning. The noun derives from the verb eirō, which means “to join, tie together into a whole.” This is a wonderful way to think about peace, as wholeness, with everything in order, just as it should be, nothing missing, everything in place, all parts working smoothly, all relationships intact in love. When we are truly at peace, we are whole; we are complete; we are everything God intends us to be.
May God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ grant us grace and peace in the deepest, most beautiful sense of these words. Amen.
(Greek definitions come from Biblehub.com, especially HELPS Word Studies.)
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