Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time (October 26, 2017): The peace of Christ, the fire of the Spirit

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says that he did not come to bring peace to earth. And yet elsewhere in scripture (plenty of elsewheres!) he says, “My peace I give to you.” Is that a contradiction?

Consider to whom Jesus was talking and what kind of peace they were expecting. They hoped for a political peace, but Jesus came to bring us peace in our souls, which only happens through conversion and letting God take charge of our lives every moment of every day.

People were looking for a Messiah who would bring peace to Israel by defeating the Romans. Instead, they got a Messiah who divided those who learned true inner peace from those who were looking for worldly peace.

At Mass and in our private prayers, we often pray for world peace and for our soldiers to come home. But there is never a time when all wars have ceased and all danger is gone — not before the Second Coming of Christ. It’s certainly right to pray for an end to war, and popes have asked us to pray the Rosary for this very purpose.

However, the more important prayer is to ask for the inner peace that only Christ can provide. War against terrorists and wars between nations will only end if both sides discover the peace of Christ. This is the new evangelization that Blessed John Paul II repeatedly called for. Evangelization is our greatest weapon. However, most Catholics do not yet see themselves as evangelists! Many parishes don’t even have evangelization programs!

Jesus came to light a fire on the earth. Evangelization spreads that fire. The blaze for which he was longing with great anguish was the fire of the Holy Spirit, who empowers holiness in all who receive him and peace in all who trust him.

Jesus provided his Holy Spirit to the world after his baptism of death and resurrection. It was at that time that the Reign of Peace began. Since then, anyone who wants true peace can have it, whether the world is at war or not, whether we’re enduring personal battles or not.

Do you feel passionate about peace? The fire that burns within us, impassioning us to spread the peace of Christ, is the Holy Spirit’s presence. The purpose of this passion is to change the world around us by distributing Christ’s peace to those who are ready to receive it.

The anguish of Jesus is the same anguish that we feel when we see a need for the Holy Spirit to burn evil out of a person or a situation. Jesus had to put his whole heart and soul and body into the mission. What does God want you to do so that the holy fire of his Spirit can descend upon your world and overshadow the evil that you’ve been yearning to stop?

Today’s Prayer:

Lord Jesus: Today I choose to let Your Spirit work inside me, doing the work He wants to do. In Your glorious Name, I leave before Your cross any conscious or unconscious ways of resistance. Thank You for taking my life in Your hands. Amen.