# Jesus is our peace
*2016-12-21*

> Bill Young reflects on the true nature of peace through the teachings of Pope Francis and the Canticle of Zechariah during the fourth week of Advent.

## Finding peace in a hectic world

Good afternoon. Today is Thursday of the fourth week of Advent. As we approach the final days of our preparation for Christmas, many of us are feeling the stress of last-minute shopping and the general chaos of the season. In this hectic time, let us think about the peace of our Lord and pray that it comes to us in abundance.

We see so much strife in the world today—terrorism in Germany and assassinations in Turkey. Everyone is on high alert. Please pray with me for Germany, for those who have lost their lives, for the injured, and for their families. There is only one true peace, and that is found in our Lord.

## The division that brings peace

In the Gospel of Luke 12:51, Jesus says, "Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." This is a very interesting and unique saying. I always thought Jesus came simply for peace, but He also brings a division between us and those who do not want peace or who are not lovers of our Lord.

Pope Francis explains that faith is not a decorative or ornamental element. Living faith does not mean decorating life with a little religion, as if it were a cake and we were decorating it with cream. Instead, faith means choosing God as the center and the basis of life. God is not empty or neutral; God is love, and love is positive. After Jesus came into the world, it is impossible to act as if we did not know God or as if He were merely an abstract or nominal reference.

## Choosing truth over neutrality

Jesus is our peace and our reconciliation, but this is not the "peace of the tomb." It is not neutrality, nor is it a compromise at all costs. Following Jesus entails giving up evil and selfishness and choosing good, truth, and justice, even when it demands sacrifice and the renunciation of our own interests. 

This is indeed what divides us and can even cut the closest ties. However, we must be careful: it is not Jesus who creates the division. Rather, Jesus establishes a choice: whether to live for ourselves or to live for God and others; to be served or to serve; to obey one's own ego or to obey God. Pope Francis asks us to consider what moderation or thinking most hinders us from choosing good, truth, and justice in our everyday lives.

## The birth of John and the Canticle of Zechariah

As part of our Christmas novena, today is the eighth day, December 22nd, commemorating the birth of John the Baptist and the Canticle of Zechariah. In the Gospel of Luke, we read that after Elizabeth gave birth to her son, her husband Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people. He has set them free... Because of the faithful love of God, the days of favor have come upon us. A sunrise has come from on high to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

*True peace is not found in neutrality or compromise, but in the courageous choice to live for God and others over our own selfishness.*