O God, Who in the abasement of Your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill Your faithful with holy joy, for on those You have rescued from slavery to sin You bestow eternal gladness... Collect for the 14th Sunday
Peace and all good things by Bishop Richard Henning
First reading: Zechariah 9:9-10 Responsorial: Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 Second reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13 Gospel passage: Matthew 11:25-30
Of late, commentators have complained that American politics have become increasingly polarized. And they have a point. But I wonder if “polarized” captures the full picture of the shifts in our culture. The extreme, the bizarre, and the unhinged have become commonplace across the culture. The fact that such behavior increasingly appears in public life should not surprise anyone. If our public behavior used to look adolescent, it now appears toddler-like. Adults use tantrums as their strategy of choice and so much of social media seems to be a chorus of people crying “look at me!” Most disturbing of all, some cynically manipulate such behavior in service of their own interests. In this environment, I find the passages for this Sunday refreshing – for they offer a profoundly different vision.
In the passage from Zechariah, the prophet speaks of a time of victory and peace. The vision surpasses the usual experience and has the air of final victory and permanent transformation. This is the triumph of the Divine Will and it is critical to note how it differs from the usual human experience of conquest and victory. This vision of universal victory banishes the tools of war and exalts humility. This dominion is not about domination but God’s shalom – peace and all good things. And this prophecy has a Messianic aspect as it proclaims a Savior rather than another king. Christians have always read this passage as a prophecy of the coming of the Lord Jesus – Who entered Jerusalem in just this way and proclaimed this peace of God in all that He did and said.
Psalm 145 picks up on this truth of Our peaceable God. Have you ever considered that it is surprising to describe God as compassionate. Why should One Who possesses all power need compassion? The loving fidelity of God, revealed in the Scriptures and above all in the Christ is a thing of wonder. It is good news – unexpected and unmerited. And so the Psalmist joyfully acclaims God’s grace and mercy.
In Romans, Paul continues his masterful proclamation of the Divine Plan and the renewal of the human person. In this passage he offers surprising news about human nature. He reminds his fellow disciples that the Christ event does more than alter our destination with the promise of eternal life. It also offers the promise and power of the Spirit in the here and now. The effects of the resurrection empower the believer to live after the model of Christ. We can rise above our limits and live a live of self-offering and integrity. It is a remarkable vision of what is possible to men and women – but a vision born of Paul’s own experience of transformation from a man of violence to one who proclaims the Peace of God.
The passage from Matthew has fascinating parallels with the Gospel of John. As in so many passages of that unique Johannine account, this passage asserts that knowledge of the Son is knowledge of the Father. And here we learn about the character of the Son. He is “meek and humble of heart.” His demands upon the believer are not a burden but a compassionate care for creation. This truth of Jesus’ compassionate love is played out in all of the gospels – above all in the passion accounts. We learn that the Christ does not dominate or control. His power is the power of self-sacrificing love. In His example we see the emptiness of worldly violence and selfish pursuits and the power of love itself. That power alone gives life where violence can only promise death. That Divine power brings peace and all good things.
The biblical notion of peace embraces more than the absence of conflict – it offers goodness, truth, and beauty. It is better to say “peace and all good things” to capture the breadth and depth of the peace offered by the Father through the Son. And notice how this peace overflows and penetrates the heart and our way of living. As Paul has attested to powerfully today, this revelation of God in Jesus gives us the grace to live His new life. In a culture that is so lost in self obsession and tantrum throwing, here is the path through the storm and fury – the path to inner serenity that brings with it maturity, grace, and integrity.
