It’s a term we hear a lot in the funeral sector, but what does it mean?
Peace, meaning freedom from disturbance; tranquillity-“He just wanted to drink a few beers in peace.” Or a state or period in which there is no war, or a war has ended-“The Straits were to be open to warships in time of peace”
When we think of Peace, we think of these two popular definitions. It’s a term we frequently hear when we think of the death of someone close to us, a partner, a friend, or an acquaintance. “They’re at peace now,” we hear them say, or “Rest in peace.”
Helen Steiner:
Life is a changeable thing, after the clouds, the sunshine; after the winter, the spring; after the shower, the rainbow. After the night, the morning, bidding all darkness cease, after life’s cares and sorrows, the comfort and sweetness of Peace.
Despite having used that verse at funeral ceremonies many times, I’ve never really understood its sentiments, which is why some years ago, after completing my theological studies, I joined a course of study in Birmingham which explored the true meaning of Peace. I concluded the course, having been swayed by its definition, so much so that whenever I hear or read that word now, I instinctively think, Shalom.
Shalom
I do not intend this to be a religious article; for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with this word, it is of Near Eastern origin, which means when used that you’re wishing someone peace, that you’re wishing them health and prosperity.
Shalom, then, is a one-word blessing.
I expect you will now have some incline as to why this word doesn’t always sit comfortably with me at funerals. It is, nonetheless, a beautiful word.
In the translation of Exodus 21-22, Shalom will often be translated thus: “make it good”,”make full restitution”, or to be “restored”.
And so, the implication here is to wish someone to be whole again, not just regarding practical restoration of things lost or stolen, but with an overall sense of fullness and completeness in mind, body, and spirit.
In Hebrew, the word is translated as‘ well-being’ and‘ in good health. ’And this meaning of wholeness carries over into the word Shalom.
At a funeral, unless there is a belief among the family that there is, in some sense, an existence beyond the grave, wishing someone who is dead shalom might then come across as a little derisive and unkind.
I do not use words and terminologies loosely, especially at critical times, like when we’re saying goodbye to someone loved and cherished. And so, I have had to find a way of coming to terms with the meaning of the words I use; to find a way of using the word, Peace, in a way that sits comfortably with me. After all, it’s a word I use often, many times each week.
Shalom is easily translated as Peace. And this is how I choose to interpret its use.
A Holy Lodging
With this meaning of Peace in mind, what does it mean when we say to the deceased, “May you rest in peace?”
This phrase from the Latin requiescat in pace is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, wishing the soul eternal rest and Peace. It begs the question, why wouldn’t they be at Peace if they’re no longer living?
This phraseology was first found on tombstones sometime before the fifth century and became ubiquitous on the tombs of Christians in the 18th century. It is intended that a soul should find Peace in the afterlife.
When the phrase became conventional, the absence of a reference to the soul led people to suppose that the physical body was enjoined to lie peacefully in the grave; this can be associated with the Christian doctrine of judgment; the soul is parted from the body upon death, but the soul and body will be reunited on Judgment Day.
If the word, Peace, was used in this context, it makes perfect sense. But not everyone nowadays values these religious ideas, or indeed the notion that we’re somehow reunited again with our dead bodies on judgement day. It all seems, at best, fanciful thinking.
Despite having faith, I have never really believed in heaven and hell, primarily due to the terms being used in the Dark Ages by the catholic church to convert people by fear. It may surprise you to know that they’re not biblical terms. The words are used a couple of times but with no real explanation, other than the Kingdom of Heaven, which doesn’t relate to any celestial sphere but rather a kingdom living on earth like a man–a code of ideals or way of life.
Most people will understand the term ‘at Peace’ to mean that the deceased is in heaven rather than hell, a place of no peace. And then others would find this notion airing on the side of the ridiculous.
I sit somewhere in the middle. It matters what our idea of heaven is I suppose. Some people, for example, find comfort in knowing that one day they will sit with the ‘angels and archangels and all the company of heaven’. That would be my idea of hell.
So, what do / mean by ‘the comfort and sweetness of peace?
Peace at the Last O Lord,
Support us all the day long of this troublous life, until the shadows lengthen,
and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed
,and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in thy mercy,
grant us a safe lodging,
a holy rest,
and Peace at the last.
Amen
On the face of it, it might seem like I’m contradicting myself here, but I’m not. The spirit of the prayer is very much in keeping with the spirit of Shalom. It recognises the in evitability of death and the weariness that sometimes proceeds it. It plays to the end and speaks of death almost as a homecoming.
In the end, we come from where we came, nothing. We were nothing before we were conceived and will be nothing again when we die. Death is a kind of homecoming in that sense. I don’t recall the nothingness before I became a human being, ever being turbulent or noisy. On the contrary, I remember nothing because that is what it was. And that would be my idea of heaven.
A homecoming is when we return home after being away for a long time. One’s home is usually a pleasant and comfortable place to be. A level ground on which we can become content and ultimately ourselves; this perfectly explains the comfort and sweetness of Peace. It reminds me of the term, home sweet home, and all the emotions that come with those words. For me, it is a state of being at Peace and whole again.
At the end of the funeral ceremony, I always quietly say to the deceased, “Be at peace” or “Rest in peace.” With those words, I am commending the dead to be whole and home again.
For them, the fever of life is over, and so I’m acknowledging their homecoming and wishing them Shalom, Peace at the last.
Home. “Home’s where you go when you run out of homes.”—John le Carré
Oxford English Dictionary
Article by resident author
Steve Game-Blackmoor
We are blessed to have his presence in Farewells
Published in Edition 15
