Real peace

Some people’s concept of Christ as Prince of Peace is more like a cartoon.

In last Monday’s Gospel (Mt. 10:34-11:1), our Lord deflates that cartoon image decisively.

"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."

Peace cannot come at the expense of truth, nor of course can truth exist without godly love.

We should not seek conflict for its own sake, but we cannot let fear of conflict cause us to betray Christ’s truth. We must thus “be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” (Mt. 10:16b)

Above all and before all and in spite of all, we must be faithful to Christ, to his truth, and to his love.