MY daily reflection and prayer:
Monday, July 11, 2016
Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Matthew 10: 34-11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
IN the Gospel reading today Jesus Christ said to his Apostles, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” Not peace but the sword! Wow! What does it mean for us today? Of course, it means that Jesus does not bring a false peace, even a harmful peace, but true peace!
In this way, Jesus shows that he is not calling us to a love of God that excludes others. True peace is very inclusive not exclusive, building not destroying.
Also today, some people still think of false peace! It is a self-satisfied peace that lulls us to sleep and can result in the loss of God, faith, love and hope. Jesus Christ interrupts that false peace. He wants to awaken us to the dangers that our false peace has blinded us to.
We need “sword” of faith, love and hope to cut and to purify a false peace in our life. This “sword” drives out from our lives whatever is opposed to God’s goodness and the true peace which can bring us to the fullness of life and happiness. It comes only from God himself.
In the Perpertual Adoration of the Eucharist we worship Jesus Christ who wants us to love God, not because he needs our love but because we need him. He invites us to adapt our standards from the merely natural and passing peace to the supernatural and everlasting peace.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, following you demands our all. Help us to stay close to you in prayer and in the sacraments so as to have the grace to live the standard of love and generosity that you ask. May we bring the true peace in our daily life now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
