The Gospel last Sunday was a very unusual one if compared to the typical teachings and words coming from our Lord. Right after the resurrection event, when he started showing up himself to his disciples, we must note that the usual message that he gave always included his wish for the people to have peace… “Peace be with you!” was his habitual greeting.
Now, on an apparent shift from the common greeting, he told his disciples: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” A household will be divided, father against their sons, mother against their daughters, mothers-in-law against their daughters-in-law. Well, I know and I have seen for so many times with my own eyes the truthfulness of the last one. They are almost irreconcilable after all, I mean, the mothers-in-law and the daughters-in-law, though there are some rare exceptions.
Peace is the absence of discord and, unity is the state of being free from complexities. I believe that these two, peace and unity, are an important part in the aspect of our communal of social existence. I am sure that most, if not all of us, are wanting to attain peace and unity in our midst because we had been pushed to the limits of our chaotic and acrimonious existence which can be traced from way back when.
Peace and unity can be both good or bad. We can agree to do good things as a community, and on the other hand, we can also agree on doing what is easy and financially beneficial, though most of the times, these acts of men are illegal and bad. But the unity is still there… people can be united in doing good and they can also be united in doing what is contrary to the will of God.
If all the people, especially the leaders of every country in this world, will become united in their evil plots and schemes, maybe we will not last for another century. People can be united in their greediness and thirst for power. Leaders of this world can be united with their selfish agenda and destroy people and everything that can be an obstacle to their Satanic ideas. We all know that this can happen and I even believe that it has already started. So, what do we do now? Are we here simply to witness the downfall of humankind? Or maybe we can try our best to divide and conquer?
Yes! We must disrupt the peace and unity of these evil-minded people and all their followers. Now, we can clearly understand why Jesus told his disciples that his presence on earth was not meant to bring peace and unity because all he wanted was to set the earth on fire and he wished that it has gone ablaze in no time. He needs us to learn to fight and conquer those people who are misguided and who may have lost their conscience along the way. He needs us to fight for the liberty of those who were enslaved by their own self-centeredness. He needs us all to bring real peace and genuine unity among ourselves because real peace can only come from our Lord and genuine unity is all the people united in doing the will of God every day in their lives.