The Peace of Christ and His kingdom: Beyond Earthly Conflicts
April 30, 2024 - Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
Acts 14:19-28; Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21; John 14:27-31a
In today's Gospel, Jesus grants His disciples His gift of peace. When we talk about ‘peace’, the first thing that comes to our minds is the absence of war. But to maintain such peace we need a pile of arms. The peace that the world offers is a belief that the bigger military muscles you have, the safer you are. All so-called peace-loving nations, from the ancient empires to the present, bring peace through armed conflicts by defeating other nations, destroying their infrastructure, slaughtering opposition, and subjugating the remaining population.
But that is not the peace of Christ. In today's first reading, Paul did not respond with vengeance and retaliation to those Jews who came all the way from Antioch and Iconium and nearly killed him. Jesus did not have an army of supporters who would defend him from being seized by the Jewish religious authorities and turned over to the Romans for crucifixion. Both the kingdom and the peace of Christ are not of this world.
In the Book of Daniel, there is a chapter that contains the prophet’s vision of four terrifying beasts (see Daniel 7:1-8). Each beast represented an empire that was oppressing God’s people throughout their history. Those empires are usually identified as Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and Greek. In the time of Jesus, another empire took control of the people of Israel, the Romans. Wherever the Roman legions went, they claimed to bring peace. But from the perspective of defeated and oppressed nations, they brought war, destruction, and humiliation. The “Roman Peace” was a nightmare for those who, after their defeat, were incorporated into the Roman empire.
But as the vision of Daniel continues, the prophet sees “the thrones” being placed, the Lord taking his seat, and judgment being pronounced over the beasts: the most terrifying one was killed, and the others were removed from their position of power (see Dan 7:9-12). Then, someone like a human being is brought to the Lord, and he is made a ruler over all the nations, and his reign will last forever (see Dan. 7:13-15). A kingdom run by a human being replaces beastly empires. As we turn to the New Testament, we see Jesus proclaiming God’s reign, who through Jesus, the Son of Man, comes to liberate, heal, and raise to life. God’s kingdom does not crush nations and people.
After his horrifying experience at Lystra, Paul declares that "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). To enter God's kingdom, we need to put into practice the commandment of love: love God and love our neighbor (see Mark 12:29-34). And that demands the imitation of Christ. Like Paul, we are called to renounce vengeance and retaliation. We are called to pray for those who try to stone us to death. Only in this way, the world shall know that we love Christ and do what He asks us to do.
The psalmist speaks about the glorious splendor of God’s kingdom and prophesies that God’s “kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and [His] dominion endures through all generations” (Ps 145:13ab). May God's reign come upon us and transform us, so by living the command of love in our lives, we shall be able to enter God's kingdom. Amen.