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If the gospel is truly ‘Good news’ then it sounds somewhat troubling and baffling to listen to Jesus in His utterances in the gospel reading today. He says He has come to bring fire; to bring division and to set family members against each other. How can Jesus who is the ‘Prince of Peace’ and who came to make peace by the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20) sound in such a seeming vehement and ferocious manner? How can the same Jesus who pacified James and John when they threatened to call down fire upon a Samaritan village now become a ‘bringer of fire’ to the earth? Does is not sound disturbing to see the same Jesus who told Peter to fix his sword back into its scabbard to now say He has come to bring the sword to the world? We remember that in John 17:21, in His Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed that ‘they (His followers) may be one’. Why then bring division to the world and worst still, to family members that should ordinarily be united by blood and bonded together?

In all these Jesus meant to say something deeper more than His words. He wants to stir up our hearts to see the harsh realities around us today. In a world where people have consistently preferred falsehood to noble living what peace do we hope for? In an age where truth is derided and virtue is mocked what peace can there be? How can there be tranquillity in a society where ‘might is right’ and the wealthy keep trampling on the common men? Do you think there can be true peace and solidarity where people want to ‘cut corners’ and have things done in their own ways? Why do we keep killing in the name of religion and think there will be peace? It is an irony that in most cases we profess peace and live violence and all these are disparaging contradictions. 

There is indeed the absence of peace in our world today. The hearts of many people are restless; many individuals are troublesome and even violent. See the many little issues that tear family members apart and keep them enemies today. Many husbands and wives now quarrel and some even fight over slight issues, denouncing their matrimonial vows. You see that a little misunderstanding arises and people are ready to pick up arms and kill one another. Our society is so violent-prone that anyone can just wake up and kill another person.  

So why do we get so fretful at the words of Jesus today when we ourselves have become agents of hate, violence and war? Why does the word of Jesus scare us when we have refused to work for peace in our world today? What we need to do is to start evaluating ourselves to see the many ways and areas that we have become perpetrators of unrest in our families, in the church and our society at large. We cannot hope to live in peace if we refuse to work for peace in our world.

Working for peace will cost us much. It will take our time; it will need our conscious and sincere efforts and it will demand our courage and perseverance. It may even bring us pains and scorn from others. However, we have to endure such hostilities for the sake of our vision for a better world where hate, violence and wars will become things of the past. 

The second reading urges us on. It assures us of heavenly assistance in our earthly struggles to better our society. Relying on this heavenly help we can then begin to work for peace in our troubled world today. Working for peace demands that we are opened to truth and justice. In our world today where people want to hear lies and treat others in very inhuman ways seeking truth and justice will be the way to go. This will bring true peace and solidarity among people. 

Jesus himself came to speak the truth and preach true justice among men. He came to lift the burden of external observances and mere legalism from men in order to teach them true love for the law of God. This was not an easy pill for the leaders of the Jews and for the Scribes who exploited the people to their own advantage. They confronted Jesus and sought for ways of doing away with Him. This led to His ultimate sacrifice for our liberation: that baptism that so distressed His heart but yielded much for us when His blood was spilled on Calvary’s tree to cleanse all men from their sins. 

In our first reading the prophet Jeremiah gave a message from God that was not favourable to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and rather than mend their ways to avert the imminent calamity they conspired against him and had him put into a mud pit. The people had abandoned the ways of God and the city of Jerusalem was about to be captured by the Babylonians. He then foresaw this danger and asked them to go out of the city to the Chaldeans for safety. He was rather misunderstood, misjudged and mistreated. His courage to speak the truth to his fellow brothers met with resentment and brought him pains.

Over the years until today ministers of God and preachers have suffered persecutions for the sake of the gospel. The apostles and early Christians went through many sufferings for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We live in a time now when it is becoming more and more risky to practise the Christian faith in some parts of our country. Day by day Christians are intimidated and killed unabated in many quarters around us and in distant lands. There are many schemes and silent conspiracy now threatening the faith and jeopardizing to many Christians and we have daily indicators that keep verifying this. 

Sadly enough our country seems to be silent about this recurrent evil where people have to die for their belief in Jesus Christ. As individuals, communities, state and nation we ought to rise up and condemn such injustice and abuse of the fundamental human right to life and religion. No one has the right to kill another on account of his or her faith or belief. This is why proper judicial processes and eventual prosecution ought to unfold to deter others who may have such devilish tendencies. This is what working for peace entails and demand and it is our task and duty. Never again should we be silent in the face of the many injustices that loom in our society today. Let us always call to mind the beautiful words of Pope Paul VI who said: “If you want peace, work for justice”.    

We can also work for peace by showing ourselves to be people of peace in all we do. The world today is full of tension and hate. Religious adherents take to the media and express their incurable hate for their fellow human beings who are members of other religions. There are some preachers who mount the pulpit today and, rather than preach the message of love and solidarity, utter unfounded sentiments and lies about other religious groups and denominations. In the family parents render curses on their children at slight provocations; some children insult parents today and even beat them up in some instances. In the offices, bosses and high ranking officers scold and talk disrespectfully to the younger ones even when they could have been more diplomatic. The ugly display of ego where people now greet others as if they are been forced to do so is unfortunate. They are exchanging pleasantries yet the expression on their faces is not welcoming. 

The peace we desire in the world begins with us as individuals. This is why Jesus calls us today to keep seeking the truth that flows from His gospel and to keep working for peace in all we do in life. As we greet people let us reflect peace; as we work with people let us show peace; as we live together as a family let us live peacefully; as we practice our religion let us preach peaceful co-existence among men since God is the Father of us all, despite our religious affiliations and denominations. In these times of manifold bitterness and hate, Jesus calls us to forgive everyone of any hurt done to us; for this is the way to avert the hate we see in the world today and to amend the division that has kept us apart from one another. May we be so opened to the truth of Christ that sets free, brings peace and heals all division. Amen. 
          
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

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