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Gospel Reading for July 14, 2025 – Matthew 10: 34 – 11: 1
TEMPORARY
Jesus said to his Apostles: “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.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
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Because of Jesus’ teaching, there are families that have come apart, but then it is because after Adam and Eve’s fall, evil seeped into the world and disrupted the GOOD that God, our Creator, our Father placed in it. Jesus was sent by our Father, to be the Saviour – the one who will put an end to evil in the world. Why then is Jesus now saying that he has not come to bring peace on earth, but the sword? Let us go back to what the angels sung at his birth: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2: 14). And, in John 14: 27 he says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
What is this peace that the world gives? It is not real, because it is TEMPORARY. Take for example, a spoilt child wanting something badly that the parents do not want to give, but so that the child will stop badgering them, they give the child what he/she wants. Peace will ensue for the time being, but the incident will happen again. Take another example, a couple that decides not to discuss a brewing problem to avoid arguments and have peace. Since the problem keeps brewing, sooner or later, it pops out of control, then the peace is gone.
The only peace that is real is that which we attain when we follow Jesus’ teachings – Forgiving from our heart someone who hurt us terribly, will give us peace more than the one who hurt us; Helping those in need will give us peace knowing we shared with them what was given by God to us; Resisting the temptation to do evil will give us peace knowing we maintained our dignity as human beings; and so on and so forth.
Yes, when following Jesus, we should not let our hearts be troubled and afraid, because it is how life should be led.
Let us ponder on this song written by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller, LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH –
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.
With God our Father, brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.
With every step I take, may this be my solemn vow:
To take each moment and live each moment
in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
