 At the thought of family gatherings during the holidays, who can blame us when we prefer a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace, which is the presence of justice? Because the kind of peace which gets announced by choirs of angels is a messy, conflicted peace. It means wading into division and demanding a reckoning for every way in which we have diverged from the requirements of love. The peace which passes our understanding doesn't lead to many silent nights, but it's the only way to that new and glorious morn.