The Pulpit Online: Not Peace, but a Sword: Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (II) (16th July, 2018).

Homily (Reflection) for Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (II) (16^th July, 2018) on the Gospel

Is 1:10-17;
Ps 49:8-9.16-17.21.23. (R. v.23);
Matt 10:34–11:1.

Topic: ‘Not Peace, but a Sword’.

Today’s gospel is made up of two major sections – What Jesus brought (Matt 10:34-39) and His teaching on rewards (Matt 10:40-42). In the first section, Jesus addressed His disciples,

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

Often some interpret this passage as a declaration of war with everybody. Yet He also commanded us to “be at peace with one another” (Mk 9:50). Again, “...Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44; Lk 6:27). And again, “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man” (Lk 6:22).

Whoever follows God sincerely and keeps His words will certainly be ready for the world’s hatred and not he/she hating the world. We do not belong to the world, cf. Jn 15:18-19. Dear brothers and sisters, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas 4:4). Saint Paul beautiful captured our inheritance thus, “our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20).

Bible Reading: Lk 6:27-36.

Thought for today: Friendship with the world is enmity with God (Jas 4:4).

Let us pray: Lord, give us the grace to stand firm doing your will regardless of the stand of the world – Amen.

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