An Exegetical Reflection on the Gospel of the Fourteenth Sunday in
Ordinary Time, Year C, Luke 10:1-12.17-20, July 7, 2013.
EVEN IF ONE just limits his reading to newspaper headlines this month,
it will not take him more than a minute to conclude that this is not a peaceful
world. The provocative acts of China
against small Asian countries, the firefight between the Abu Sayyaf and the
military in Mindanao, the tribal bloody conflict in Darfur, the tension between
North Korea and South Korea, the war against terrorism in Afghanistan, the drug
crimes in Mexico and the unrest in Thailand—these stories may not prove Marx
correct in his theory that ours is a history of struggle between the rich and
the poor, but they do indicate that our history continues to be characterized
by confrontation, conflict and hostilities.
But despite these endless happenings of violence and war,
people—especially those who experience war and those who are victims of human
rights violations, of disinformation and blackmail—know the need and long for
peace.
In today’s 1st
Reading (Isa 66:10-14c), Isaiah speaks of peace that God will bestow on his
people who suffered strife, defeat and humiliation. But what is peace? For the prophet, peace is not merely the
absence of war. One does not create a
desert and call it peace. Using the
image of the New Jerusalem as a mother who consoles the returning exiles at her
breast and dandles them at her lap, the prophet describes peace in terms of the
mournful experiencing comfort, prosperity spreading over the land, and all
inhabitants being joyful in mind and heart.
Isaiah’s imagery expresses in another way the Old Testament idea of
peace as an experience of wholeness and integrity in the life of the people and
community—the right relationship among the members of the community and nation
and the right relationship between the people and God.
But will we ever
experience it? In the theology of the
New Testament, such peace—it is experienced—is often elusive. This is because, viewed according to the
Jewish symbolic universe, evil forces are at work. An example of this explanation is given in a
scroll found at Qumran caves: “All dominion over the sons of perversity is in
the hand of the Angel of darkness; they walk in the ways of darkness. And because of the Angel of darkness all the
sons of righteousness go astray; and all their sin and iniquities and faults,
and all the rebellion of their deeds, are because of his dominion… And all the blows that smite them, all the
times of their distress, are because of the dominion of his malevolence. And all the spirits of his lot cause the sons
of light to stumble; but the God of Israel and His Angel of truth succour all
the sons of light” (1QS 3:20-25a).
The influence of Satan’s
power is vast and difficult to eradicate.
This is evidenced in, among others, personal rifts and social and
political conflicts where, it is assumed, he dominates. According to this symbolic universe, illness
and physical handicaps are results of the activity of Satan’s power. Also, if there is no harmony and prosperity
in the land, it is because his demonic power controls not only the life of the
individual but also the relationship within the nation and among nations. In the light of this view of reality, one can
claim that the power of Satan lies behind the proliferation of prohibited
drugs, the uncontrolled jueteng, the kidnappings for ransom, and other
evils that plague our present society.
With Jesus, however,
came new and full power (cf Matt 28:18).
Through his cross and resurrection, he vanquished the powers of this
world: “thus did God disarm the principalities and powers. He made a public show of them and, leading
them off captive, triumphed in the person of Christ” (Col 2:15). Because he defeated the forces of evil, peace
is now possible. Of course, during his
public ministry, he already anticipated this victory over evil and triumph for
peace through his healings and exorcisms. “For with what authority and power he
commands the unclean spirits and they come out” (Luke 4:36). By undoing Satan’s work, Jesus challenged the
demonic power and its influence.
That is why, in today’s
Gospel (Luke 10:1-12.17-20), the seventy-two disciples, who were given power by
Jesus, could exclaim in triumph: “Master, even the demons are subject to us in
your name” (Luke 10:17). They penetrated
into the territory of Satan who, unseen by men, exercises influence over people
and events in the world. Thus, even in
his public ministry, the power of Satan to sow evil was already being
broken. As Jesus himself said, “I
watched Satan fall from the sky like lighting” (Luke 10:18). Though the eschatological battle between the
forces of good and evil has begun, now the ultimate victory over Satan is being
won, with the rising of Jesus to new life.
In the words of the Johannine Jesus, “Now has judgment come upon this
world, now will this world’s prince be driven out, and I—once am lifted up from
earth—will draw all men to myself” (John 12:31-32). And as Paul puts it, “then the God of peace
will quickly crush Satan under your feet” (Rom 16:20).
But what does the
Gospel wish to teach us about peace? We
all long for peace, for wholeness, integrity and well-being--which is meant by
the Hebrew word shalom, but in order to establish this peace not only in
our individual lives, but also in our community, in the nation and in the
world, Jesus needs men to spread it. It
cannot be privatized as if it were an individual possession, with the bearer
unmoved by the events, vicissitudes and concerns in this life. Peace always involves relationships within
communities and between peoples; it is always about their unity and
harmony. If Jesus gave his peace to his
disciples (cf John 14:27), his disciples must bring it to men. This is why in today’s Gospel, Jesus sent his
disciples for the mission to spread peace: “On entering any house, first say,
‘Peace to this house’. If there is a
peaceable man there, your peace will rest on him” (Luke 10:5-6). What Jesus meant here is not a simple
greeting that one gives to people he meets on the way, but an announcement of
the peace that the salvation of Jesus brings.
We, Christians, must be
peace-bearers. We are to be vehicles of
peace—for it is only through the communities of disciples will real peace come
upon earth. We have to be involved in
the peace-process. In our time, that
process would include not only maintaining the balance of power, but even more
important, safeguarding of the goods of persons, free communication among men,
respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and assiduous practice of
charity (CCC 2304). And it may be
stressed that to spread peace is not a work of mercy—it is rather demanded by
our status as disciples of Jesus.
“Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some
movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus” (NCCB, The Challenge of Peace,
333).
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