Instruments of Peace

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, January 29th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 146

R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!
or 
R. Alleluia!
 
It is the Lord who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.

R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!
or 
R. Alleluia!

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind and lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous and watches over the strangers. 

R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!
or 
R. Alleluia!

The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.

​R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs!
or 
R. Alleluia!

So often in the media we hear representations of faith and religion as agents of oppression. Religion is painted as something that should make us focus on our sins, on the sins of our neighbours, on our disagreements. Recent coverage around the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict spent a lot of time discussing his shortcomings and the things that he taught that run contrary to what the world says is good. We know as Christians that the church and all her members have many failings, but that we are not defined by our sins or weaknesses. The central message of our faith, which shines through in every teaching, every action, is that God is love. The challenge of our faith in these times is to lend credibility to this message by the actions of our lives.

This is why we find Christian brothers and sisters engaged in caring for and loving the weakest among us in every place and time. The Lord is the one who brings justice, who feeds the hungry, who sets prisoners free. The Lord heals the sick and raises up the lowly. The Lord watches over those who are estranged from their homeland. The Lord cares for the orphan and the widow, the marginalized and the oppressed, the homeless and the dying person. He does all of these things through us. When I sit with someone who is suffering, Christ is sitting with them. When I oppose injustice, Christ is opposing that injustice. In this way, we become what St Francis might have called “instruments of peace,” instruments of the Lord’s will. 

This participation in God’s work is a gift He gives to us, rather than a gift we give to Him. When I have helped someone, I have been an instrument; God is the one who has brought healing, fed the hungry, upheld the suffering. As Saint Mother Teresa said, we are pencils in the hand of God. This means both that I have the obligation to do my best to carry out God’s work, and that I can let go of any worries about the outcome. God is the one who is faithful forever, and He will see the work done. How blessed we are to participate in this work.




Sr. Gemma

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