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The Gospels are filled with drama.
In a matter of pages, we encounter demons, lepers, prostitutes, murderers, and even Satan himself.
At first glance, many of us are probably glad we didn’t live back then. Satan seemed to wreak havoc on people’s lives, leaving Jesus to clean up the mess.
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But is our world much different today?
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The mark of evil is division. As Jesus says in the Gospels, “A house divided against itself will fall.”
And by extension – a family, a community, a nation, a world – divided against itself will fall; it falls because its members fight against each other.
It’s an uncomfortable question to ask ourselves, but how often are we responsible for sowing seeds of division?
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For example, when we gossip about other people; when we nurse a grudge or refuse to forgive; or when we post negative or hate-filled images online, we sow division.
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Jesus, on the other hand, seeks to unite us. This was his final prayer on earth before his crucifixion and death: “That they may be one, Father, as we are one.”
How can we counteract the forces of division around us, and answer Christ’s prayer for peace, instead?
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Perhaps we need to answer that individually.
But, we can all pray the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, who said some 800 years ago:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”
Be like Christ. Plant a seed of unity in the soil of America today.
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