We are in a time of great turmoil: wars ravaging, starvation rising, politics dividing, Christians being martyred… First century? Twenty-first century? Every century?
In Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI writes, “The Temptor is not so crude as to suggest to us directly that we should worship the devil. He merely suggests that we opt for the ‘reasonable decision.’ That we choose to give priority to a planned and thoroughly organized world where God may have his place as a private concern but must not interfere in our essential purposes.”
Does that sound familiar? We have an image of what we think an organized world should look like. Our blueprint seems solid and most people don’t think that God needs to get involved. Society’s architects have drafted convincing plans. Our Founding Fathers composed a well-thought-out Constitution. We have our internally conceived dreams of the perfect family dynamic. We think: If we could only adhere to these revered conditions, all would be well. People would be happy, and the world would have peace.
Pope Benedict is saying that people think that Jesus is supposed to make everything peaceful, but that is not what he came for. Jesus came to reveal God to us and that doesn’t necessarily mean peace in this life. Jesus said it in last week’s Gospel, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing… Do you think I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
It seems counterintuitive that it is the devil that desires peace and God that values turmoil. But when we look closely, we can see that it is in times of great pain and suffering that we often grow closer to God, and in times of comfort we become complacent and selfish. God may be bringing the best out of all of us by allowing the world to defy our expectations.
Scripture: Read Luke 12:51. What stands out?
Call to Action: Use the needs that erupt from our world’s turmoil to grow in holiness. Help the disadvantaged through Brewster Cares and the Brewster Food Pantry. Volunteer at a hospital, nursing home, or hospice. Donate to communities hit with natural disasters…
