Jesus, the Sword-Wielder

St. Benedict, Abbot
Isaiah 1:10-17 | Psalm 49:8-9,16-17,21,23 | Matthew 10:34-11:1


Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)

I was at a wedding dinner last Saturday night, and Fr. Erbin Fernandez was in attendance, having celebrated the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the morning. Before proceeding to pray grace before our dinner, he encouraged everyone to sing Let There Be Peace On Earth, a serendipitous tie-in to today’s Gospel.

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me
Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be

Jesus’ odd phrasing is a big clue that the obvious inference isn’t correct. It was not His intention to drive a wedge between people, but our propensity to sin will inevitably result in conflict when we see the light of Truth and yearn to journey towards it, to the disapproval of others around us. Without sin, peace among us all would exist by default.

With God as our Father, brothers all are we
Let me walk with my sister in perfect harmony

But peace on earth doesn’t necessarily mean automatic unanimity. With the supreme gift of free will granted to us by our heavenly Father, we may still disagree on the little details, like how long to let the kids run around outdoors, how long to keep a unsuitable employee on staff, how wise climbing Mount Kinabalu would be in middle age.

But we can still agree to disagree, and work towards some level of consensus without biting each other’s heads off.

Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now
With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow

Still, disagreements often bring out the fight-or-flight animal instinct in us, so it’s important for us to take a conscious stand to share the peace that Jesus left us, to be the first to extend the hand of friendship in difficult and disagreeable situations…

To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me

Amen.

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