Prince of Peace

A Gospel Reflection on Matthew 11:16-19 – 15 December 2023

(Internet Image from 31st Sunday of ordinary time-cycle A-2017)

The Lord will come; go out to meet him! He is the prince of peace.
(Gospel Antiphon Reading for the Friday in the second week of Advent)

     The Gospel antiphon is that verse chanted or spoken between the Alleluia’s and before the proclamation of the Gospel. It is intended to set the stage for the Gospel reading. Today, the antiphon emphasizes Jesus’ Messianic title as the “Prince of Peace.” The title, Prince of Peace, comes from the book of the prophet Isaiah who writes of the Christ,

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:5 NABRE)

     In the Gospel today, anything but peace reigns. Our Lord is clearly exasperated with the endless debating, criticism, and hard hearts of the religious leaders of Israel. They continuously attack anything that does not come from their own carefully crafted understanding of what it means to be holy, though they themselves never achieve that level. They reject anyone who does not come from their own circle and perspective. In a euphemism from today, they only “drink from their own bath water.” With spiritual eyes tightly shut, they declare John the Baptist a crazed fanatic and Jesus a glutton and friend of sinners who dares imply by what He says and does, that He is the Christ. They shut out the call for repentance and reconciliation with God. Despite our Lord’s sound, logical, and wise teaching; His healings which align to Messianic prophecy; and His demonstrated ability to act outside the bounds of nature by multiplying loaves and fish, walking on water, and changing water into wine, they reject truth and condemn Him at every opportunity. It is no wonder that the Prince of Peace is frustrated; however, He never stops trying.

     Jesus declares at the end of the reading, “But wisdom is vindicated by her works.” (Matthew 11:19 NABRE) The voice of wisdom cannot be heard over the din of incrimination, a constant tearing at the other. As St Hilary of Poitiers wrote, “Those who resist the kingdom of heaven tear apart heaven itself in attempting to justify themselves.” (as quoted in Simonetti)

     Love does not “tear apart” but works relentlessly through wisdom to repair any break in unity, willing the good of the other. Peace flows from that work and “blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9 NABRE) Evil divides one against the other, love seeks unity. That love is exhibited in its purest form in the unity of the Blessed Trinity (John 17:21). Jesus is Wisdom by nature. Jesus never stops in His work to reconcile those who attack God, who attack unity, and the peace which flows from that unity. His work is as unrelenting as the love that Jesus demonstrates on the cross. Wisdom, that “work of love,” is He from whom all true peace flows.

     Our Lord is persistent in His constant work for peace, even amid the voices that work to drown out and ridicule every effort toward harmony. For those for whom Christ is Lord, we are called to follow Him in His call toward and working for peace and reconciliation. His call is consistently for love of God and neighbor, no matter where that neighbor is. The Church declares that,

Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is “the tranquility of order.” Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity. (CCC 2304)

     The relentless working for peace is love in action, “the effect of charity.” Wisdom is vindicated by her works. The Gospel antiphon and the Gospel paint a clear picture of the need for mutual understanding that results in peace. Despite frustration, Jesus never stops in His work of reconciliation; nor, should we. The Church gathered around the Eucharist makes up the kingdom of peace as wide as the world itself. Christ gives Himself to us and, in doing so, gives us His peace so that we can carry the light of peace within and give it to others. He gives it to us so that we can become peacemakers in every situation. In this Advent Season, make it your work to extend peace to those who frustrate you most, whether that be a family member, your next-door neighbor, a fellow parishioner, or the one who actively assaults your own peace. In doing so, you work toward the gift of peace, for the Prince of Peace. Will you go out to meet him? He is the Prince of Peace.

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.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

(Prayer attributed to St Francis of Assisi)

Lord Jesus come and do not delay!

Endnotes

31st Sunday of ordinary time-cycle A-2017. Catholicism Pure & Simple. (2017, November 4). https://catholicismpure.wordpress.com/2017/11/05/31st-sunday-of-ordinary-time-cycle-a-2017/

Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd Ed. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997. Print.

New American Bible. Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011. Print.

Simonetti, Manlio, ed. Matthew 1–13. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001. Print. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.