PEACE IS FLOWING LIKE A RIVER
A Blessed Sunday to you. We are now journeying in the Sundays of Ordinary Time, after our observances of Lent, Holy Week, Easter season that culminated on Pentecost, Trinity Sunday & Corpus Christi. The Green vestments the priests wear during the period portray a vibrant life of faith & a continued growth in grace & holiness for all of us.
Today, the readings are all about peace. Specifically, that Christ is our Peace. Isaiah 9:6 so rightly states the name of the Messiah as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”, with endless peace for His throne & kingdom (cf Isaiah 9:7).
The beautiful & uplifting 1st Reading today is taken from Isaiah 66:10-14. Here, the Prophet declares joy & gladness upon Jerusalem (meaning ‘city of peace) after the sorrow & pain of exile in Babylon. The Lord himself says that he “would send flowing peace like a river, and like a stream in spate (overflowing), the glory of the nations” (cf Isaiah 66:12). Such a powerful promise of peace, comfort & consolation from the Lord! Here’s the good news – it’s not just meant for Jerusalem & her population; this promise is also for the whole Church in this present time; & also for us individually.
Anyone here right now who’s feeling sad & lonely? Afraid & in distress? Struggling with illness, disease, financial burdens & relationship problems? Feeling that you have been abandoned, forgotten & forsaken? Let me claim the favour of God’s Word today for you right now: In your period of ‘exile’, the Lord God wants to send you His abundant peace, a peace that the world cannot give (cf John 14:27). And in this outpouring of peace, you will experience being comforted & consoled as a child by his mother (cf Isaiah 66:13). No pain! No fear! Just Blissful Peace!
Our Gospel from Luke 10:1-12,17-20 challenges us to extend this gift of Shalom-Peace to others, to in effect become ‘labourers in the harvest’ as Jesus said in the text. Jesus encourages us to rely & trust totally on Him & not our own resources (“no purse, no haversack, no sandals”). Are we willing to step out of our Comfort Zone & our fear of rejection & ridicule & bring the Lord’s peace to others? Remember what Jesus said in today’s Gospel: “…let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’” (cf Luke 10:5). Why don’t we start at home with our immediate family? Can we be patient & caring to our family members, though sometimes they really upset or irritate us? Can we ‘bite our tongue’ & ‘keep the peace’ at home, though we may be tempted to give a ‘brilliant (so we think) retort’ & make snide remarks? Then how about extending it outwards to our workplace, communities & ministries?
So, my dear brothers & sisters in the Lord Jesus, let peace always be our aspiration & aim. Receive the gift of peace from Jesus; and bring His peace to others who so desperately need it. May you, & all whom you reach out to, experience the comfort & consolation that flows from this overflowing river of peace.
I’d like to end with an invitation to all to sing with the psalmist in today’s Responsorial Psalm: “Cry out with joy to God all the earth.” (Psalm 66:1). And if your family & friends ask you for the reason for your rejoicing, encourage them with the 4th Stanza of the Psalm (Verse 16 & 20):
“Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul.
Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer
nor withhold his love from me.”
Here’s a well-loved hymn – “Peace is flowing like a river” to complete your reading & reflection experience. And, in the beautiful words of the Risen Lord to his apostles that Easter evening, “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” (John 20:22)
https://youtu.be/sQ00H4Tavdo?si=CWQad4jQTZRW-xOB
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead