Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s first reading is used every year in the Easter Vigil. Exodus 14-15 tells of how the Lord led the Jews through the Red Sea to new freedom. The Lord set the people free. How amazing it is! With this victory, the Jews could now call themselves a free people. Moses proclaimed that the Lord was triumphant. The Lord granted justice to his people.
Thomas Merton wrote about justice in his time. He never thought it unworthy of a monk to fight for what is right. He became an advocate for justice for many. He spoke out for the Peace Movement in the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement, among other things. He considered it the responsibility of any Christian to work to bring peace to the World. He writes about God granting this calling to His followers. “He (Jesus) brought to his disciples a vocation and a task, to struggle in a World of violence to establish His peace not only in their hearts but in society as well. If we are disciples of Christ, we are necessarily our brother’s keeper.” It is not enough for Christians to stay on the sidelines during times of crisis. Christians are called to be peacemakers. Christians are called to show mercy and to help their neighbors. How blessed we are to share in this calling.
Reflection: There will be times when living out Christ’s calling to make peace will be a great challenge. Not everyone who hears the name of Jesus wants to work for peace. Still, that is when peace is most important. I pray for all Christians to be peacemakers. Let us work today to bring peace to our world.
Merton’s quotations are taken from Passion for Peace: The Social Essays, edited by William Henry Shannon, Crossroads Press, 1995.
Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections