Word to the Wise
Monday, December 4, 2006 - First Monday in Advent
[Isaiah 2:1-5 and Matthew 8:5-11]They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him.......
In these days I'm sure all of us would love to see the words of Isaiah come to pass in our own time. Jesus was born into a country occupied by a military power! The Romans were not shy about maintaining the "Pax Romana" by means of the sword, even if they gave a fair amount of latitude to local customs and governing structures. None of us like to live under coercion. In this Advent, we can pray earnestly for the day when we can beat our own swords into plowshares, etc. Here in Central Kentucky, I live about 40 miles or so from a major military base at Ft. Campbell, KY. Everyday on the news I hear word of casualties or returning or departing units to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this season, the feelings about this can be particularly difficult, even for the most patriotic of persons. When it's your child, sibling, parent, etc... the whole meaning of a war changes. The faith of the Centurion was based on his own certitude of who he was. Jesus marveled at that confidence. The Centurion needed that kind of confidence to hold his rank! Perhaps his confidence in faith can serve as a model to our own. Perhaps we can pray for peace with that same confidence! AMEN