Good News ReflectionThursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary TimeOctober 22, 2009
Today's Readings:Romans 6:19-23Ps 1:1-4, 6Luke 12:49-53http://www.usccb.org/nab/102209.shtmlUSCCB Podcast of the Readings:http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/09_10_22.mp3
The peace of Christ, the fire of the Spirit
In today's Gospel passage, Jesus says that he did not come to bring peace to earth. And yet elsewhere in scripture (plenty of elsewheres!) he says, "My peace I give to you." Is that a contradiction?
Consider to whom Jesus was talking and what kind of peace they were expecting. They hoped for a political peace, but Jesus came to bring us peace in our souls, which only happens through conversion and letting God take charge of our lives every moment of every day.
People were looking for a Messiah who would bring peace to Israel by defeating the Romans. Instead, they got a Messiah who divided those who learned true inner peace from those who were looking for worldly peace.
Today, we're praying for world peace and protection from terrorists. But there is never a time when all wars have ceased and all danger is gone – not before the Second Coming of Christ. It's certainly right to pray for an end to war, and John Paul II during his papacy asked us to pray the Rosary for this very purpose.
However, the more important prayer is to ask for the inner peace that only Christ can provide. This is the new evangelization that John Paul II was calling for. Evangelization is the greatest weapon against the true enemy, which is Satan and his terrorizing, soul-destroying cohorts.
Jesus came to light a fire on the earth. Evangelization spreads that fire. The blaze for which he was longing with great anguish was the fire of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus poured out upon the world after his baptism of death and resurrection. It was at that time that the Reign of Peace began. Since then, anyone who wants true peace can have it, whether the world is at war or not, and whether our lives are undergoing personal battles or not.
The fire that burns within us, impassioning us to spread the peace of Christ, is the Holy Spirit's presence. The purpose of this passion is to change the world in which we live by distributing Christ's peace to those who are ready to receive it.
The anguish of Jesus is the same anguish that we feel when we see a need for the Holy Spirit to burn evil out of a person or a situation. Jesus had to put his whole heart and soul AND body into the mission. What does God want you to do so that the holy fire of his Spirit can descend upon and overshadow the evil that you've been yearning to stop?
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