Pagdaro sa Kalinaw means Plowing Peace

“Pagdaro sa Kalinaw” means Plowing Peace in Bisaya, the trade language of Mindanao, the large island in the south, and the central Visayan islands, of the Philippines.

Why “Plowing Peace?”

Transforming swords into ploughshares is one of the most compelling images of restoration and peacemaking found in the writing of the Hebrew prophet Isaiah in the Bible’s Old Testament/Jewish Prophetic Scripture.  In the second chapter, Isaiah portrays a powerful vision of the future, when nations and peoples (ethnic groups) “stream” together to achieve enlightenment, genuine unity and spiritual fulfillment by climbing up to, “the mountain of the Lord’s house.” But the process of such diverse communities coming together also becomes an occasion for conflict, so the prophet portrays God as a mediator, “settling disputes between nations,” and acting as a judge between warring peoples. Through God’s peace and justice work the peoples, “hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.”

In this vision of reconciliation, those who, “climb the Lord’s mountain,” do so in order to be, “taught in God’s ways and walk in his paths” - in other words, to learn and put into the practice, the ways of peace. Rather than studying the science of war and destruction, those who would be part of reconciled community are urged to study and imitate God’s ways of justice and shalom/salaam. Weapons and instruments of death that had been carried for protection on the journey will be turned into tools for the cultivation of life to feed the enemy.

In closing, Isaiah again urges his people to, “walk in the light of the Lord,” to become pilgrims of peace seeking reconciliation with all people, and ultimately, with God.

Why “Plowing Peace” Today?

This vision of peace-making and justice-crafting connects with the today’s needs. We live in a “glocalized” reality as peoples and nations inexorably stream - then crash - together, in a process where cultural identity and community diversity are simultaneously subsumed, highlighted, and lost. The ecological danger of massive population growth and demographic shifts increases because the tools and technologies (plowshares) that could feed the world are used instead to fight for access to resources and material goods. The Mountain of the Lord has become a pit of despair for many in our world. Thus, instead of social harmony, natural abundance, and spiritual fulfilment, we live in a world of fragmented identities, perceived environmental scarcity and spiritual apathy – the destructive shadow of Isaiah’s vision. But the vision of reconciliation remains, thousands of years later, springing from the deep divine impulse for genuine community, ecological balance and spiritual restoration.

As a believer in this vision and in the God who has cast it, I hope the reflections in this blog serve as a small contribution towards living, learning, and putting into practice the ways of peace and justice, re-crafting our swords into plowshares, for the transformation of our world. For as prophet Isaiah say,

In days to come,

The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
³ And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
⁴ And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.

Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:2-5