Shalom

"If there is to be shalom, it will not be just for isolated, insulated individuals; it is rather, security and prosperity granted to a whole community--young and old, rich and poor, powerful and dependent. Always we are all in it together. Together we stand before God's blessing and together we receive the gift of life, if we receive it at all. Shalom comes only to the inclusive, embracing community that excludes none."

Walter Brueggemann. Peace. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001. 15.