LET'S MAKE PEACE
Peace is a choice and we all want peace. Yet, how we hope to get peace is a different matter.
This morning I read an idea in a commentary on the readings that I would like to pass on to you. Peace is a choice and we all want peace. Yet, how we hope to get peace is a different matter. Some expect peace to drop from heaven at some future time. Others are convinced we must fight for the right of peace. Pope Benedict XVI made a direct appeal for peace at the start of the New Year when he declared, "I want to appeal to the consciences of those who are part of any armed group. To each and every one I say: Stop, reflect, and abandon the path of violence." You and I may not recognize that we too go into each day "armed" for conflict. Wow! I really need to reflect on this as well. This appeal is challenging, and these words are asking loud and clear for us to try laying down our defenses today!
When Jesus sent out His apostles, their mission was to proclaim God's kingdom in "word and deed." The kingdom that they make known is unlike any earthly kingdom. The world thrives on power, money, and accomplishment of our own goals. A New Testament scholar, Tom Wright, wrote that Jesus' disciples "are to be healers, restorers, people who will bring life and hope to others, not grand status to themselves."
The best way to summarize the kingdom of God is as St. Paul puts it: "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17). In earth as it is in heaven!