Are you seeking Peace?

Scripture/Bible:  When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really the prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" 46 The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" 47 The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? 48 Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But these crowds, who do not know the law, are accursed." 50 Nicode'mus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" 52 They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." 53 They went each to his own house John 7:40-53

Reflection:  Peace and unity are great values that the world seeks. There are many in the secular world whom people acclaim as apostles of peace and unity.  There are quite few who have been instrumental in uniting nations, tribes and people as one.

Yet many a time this peace and unity is often built on precarious grounds and seems so fragile almost ready to break or kept in place through either subjugation or strong laws and disciplines.

Besides these elements, one could seek unity for pure unity sake and strive for a peace that is based on the principle of amnesia; forget the past and look to the future and build.

If the heart is not at peace how can there be external peace and unity?  Yet one overlooks this whole point in order to work towards this end and there are many who bite the bait because it is an attractive proposition.  It is attractive because we ourselves are not at peace and we usually think that the other is responsible for our lack of tranquility,

Jesus never came to work for peace and harmony in society, or to unite nations and kingdom.  Hence peace and unity in that sense was never a value of the kingdom Jesus came to establish or the value of the Gospel as some claim.

“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” Luke 12:51

Then what did he come for and why is he called the Prince of peace? The peace he came to bring about was much more profound and had to do with the internal realm: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”  John 14:27

Thus in the Gospel Text above, we find that his very presence brings about division and they are troubled. 

When we invite this Jesus and sincerely seek him then his presence with us stirs and troubles and when we submit to him we are lead into that perfect peace which no power on earth can give.  Our unity is in him and only he can unite us in his love with one another that follow him.

Prayer:  Lord I believe that you will speak peace to your people, to your saints, to those who turn to you in their hearts. cfr. Ps 85:8

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us