THE WAY OF PEACE

THE WAy of PEACE

“Then the kingship and dominion and majesty of all the Kingdoms under the heavens shall be given to the holy people of the Most High.” . – Daniel 7:27

The movie “The Mission” will forever be the reason why I consciously choose the way of non-violence. The highly poetic rendition of how Fr. Rodrigo Mendoza (played by Jeremy Irons) and Guarani Indians peacefully tried to defend their land at the cost of their lives moved me so much that I resolved at age 15 to follow their example.

But sometimes, when I look around me, it’s not so easy to believe peace will win out in the end. Besides my makibaka tendency and passionate nature that war with my conviction, I see how the way of peace is often trampled upon. I sometimes feel that those who choose peace are just cowards rather than people of strong conviction.

But when I take time to keep quiet and listen to God, I have to admit that peace is always the right way. It’s not necessarily the easy way, both as a means and as an end, but it is the right way.

One day, peace will win out. It might not be tomorrow or even the next year, but it will. And however little my efforts toward its advancement will be, it will be worth my rewards in eternity. Joy Sosoban

REFLECTION:

What are you doing to preserve the peace in your family, your classroom or workplace, and in your social circles?

O Lord, You are the Prince of Peace. Let me follow You.

pROtecting OuR heARts fROm sin

Jesus exhorts us to protect our hearts from anything that will corrupt them. Unfortunately, in today’s world, this happens to be many things. There is a multitude of temptation in the world of which we have to be wary. I suppose there always has been many temptations for those who seek a life of holiness. Nevertheless, it is important we recognize this so that we can be on the alert for temptation when it arises. Half the battle with temptation is won when we are able to see it for what it is and thus recognize that we ought to reject it.

The trouble is, we often fail to reject temptation even though we are aware that it is sin. I wonder why this is the case? Maybe it results from the fact that sin can often be very attractive and seductive. Even so, this is not an excuse. Just because rejecting sin is difficult does not give us an excuse when we fail to do it.

There are many places and situations that we should simply avoid in order to lessen the temptations in our lives. For example, we should avoid erotic films and literature if we know that they will lead us to sin. We should not frequent places of sin, except for a very good reason, and do not forget to take someone with you to help you avoid the temptations there. Many of the temptations we face would not have life if we kept to a few very simple rules that would keep us out of harm’s way, so to speak. We never find Jesus courting temptation in His life; the wise person flees when temptation approaches as this is definitely one of the situations where it is better to flee in order to be able to survive and fight another day.

Satan, sin and the flesh are devious enemies that we have to respect in terms of their danger to us. Yet, we have the victory through the cross of Christ. This does not mean we should become arrogant, but that we should quietly and firmly choose to reject all temptation and replace it with virtuous actions and thoughts. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:

Am I foolish in the way I often court sin and temptation in my life or do I take a conservative attitude to the options before me in life?

Holy Spirit, help me to stand firm against temptation and to always reject it. Help me also to choose a life of virtue and grace in its place.

St. Stephen the Younger, Martyr, pray for us.