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highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity,
choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over
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Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for THERE IS
NEVER A WRONG TIME TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
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Bishop Soc Villegas
25 July 2007
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THE WAY FORWARD IN
CHRIST
(Part 36)
PEACE OR DIVISION?
October 21,
2010
Today’s readings
Psalm 33:1-19
Luke 12:49-53
In today’s gospel, Jesus makes a startling and puzzling statement.
“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I
tell you, but rather division.” (Lk 12:51). Then Jesus proceeds to say
that there will be division and conflict between households, and even
between the closest of family members.
Now of course Jesus has come to establish peace. He is the Prince of
Peace. He has reconciled us with the Father. And Jesus has also come to
unite the people of God, to be one body of Christ on earth. What are we
to make of his statement?
What Jesus is saying is that his life and words will be received by
people in different ways, and as such, will become the cause of
disagreements, strife and even division. People can choose to accept or
to reject, to obey or to disobey, to follow or not to follow, to be
faithful or to veer away.
When such happens, Jesus does not say that we are to aim for peace and
unity at all costs. Otherwise, we should become politically correct in
order not to get into conflict. Unfortunately, this is what is happening
in many instances in society today. Christians do not speak out against
sins such as divorce and gay marriage in order not to offend. And many
Christians today do not want to rock the boat, and so will not confront
sinners (in a loving way of course) or correct those who are veering
away. Such a posture has simply led to a further weakening of the faith.
Thus peace and unity are very desirable values, but are not to be sought
for their own sake. Our goal is not peace and unity, but rather to do
God’s will. Peace and unity are just a by-product of lives lived in
accordance with God’s will. So while we indeed strive for peace and
unity, it is never at the expense of truth and obedience to God.
In fact, when we persevere in truth and obedience, that is when
authentic peace and unity can occur. This is because those people who
insist on veering away from God’s will, when confronted with the
truth, will ultimately be separated, like chaff from the wheat. What
will be left will be those who would think and act in harmony with the
Spirit of God. Then they can get on with pursuing the mission God has
given them.
We do see that conflict and disunity happen so often in the body of
Christ. This is lamentable and should not be so, for those who profess
to follow and obey Jesus. How should we act in order to prevent or
minimize such conflict and disunity in the body? Our action has to do
with our relationship with God and with one another.
First, we should fear God. “Let all the earth fear the Lord” (Ps
33:8a). This means we should be in awe of God, knowing our proper
relationship as creatures to the Creator, and as a manifestation of
this, we should obey Him. When we obey God, then, in accord with the two
greatest commandments, we not only love Him but we also love our
neighbor. This specially true for those who are our brethren. We “do
good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the
faith.” (Gal 6:10). In community, such love should be even more
intense. If we live out such love, then there would be no room for
strife and disunity.
Second, we are to be just and righteous in our relationship with our
brethren in Christ. “The Lord loves justice and right” (Ps 33:5a).
We are to give to our brethren what is their due, that is, respect and
fraternal love. We are to be righteous in all our dealings in community.
This translates to a number of actions, such as, not being judgmental,
avoiding maligning brethren in any way, speaking positively of others
and showing them honor and respect, looking always to the good of
others, being reconciled quickly when there is a rupture in
relationships.
Jesus came for a mission, to proclaim the kingdom of God. “I have come
to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk
12:49). His work is a refining and purifying fire. Jesus came so that we
might be saved and be restored to our relationship with the Father.
We the disciples of Jesus continue with his mission. His work is our
work as well. We are to be evangelizers and missionaries, to proclaim
his salvation throughout the world.
In this work, we can expect to encounter conflict and dissension, even
from our own brethren. And as Jesus himself said, there would be
division as well.
Let us stand fast on our faithfulness to our authentic calling. Only in
this way can there be authentic peace and unity in our community. Then
such peace and unity can be experienced by all followers of Christ as
well, if not here on earth, then certainly in heaven.
For
discussion in household meetings
Am I in a current
conflict with a brother or sister that remains unresolved? If so, how
have I been guilty of failing to be just and righteous?
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