But, Our Lord said that He didn't come to bring Peace, but a Sword. There are too many abominations in this world to accept peacefully. They need a sword taken to them, and quickly. Unfortunately, it is the abominators who are wielding the sword, while the just meekly fall under them. In the context of my first sentence, I find it hard to believe that Christ intended this situation to be the one to imply that we 'turn the other cheek'. I suspect that 'loving our enemies' may involve defeating them, in order to persuade them to mend their ways. Discuss!
I get where you’re coming from—there’s a lot in this world that feels downright evil right now and it’s easy to think an answer is to fight fire with fire. (Eye for an Eye), But I personally don’t think Jesus called us to that kind of fight. When He said He came not to bring peace but a sword, I believe He was talking about how following Him would cause division—between what the world values and what God values. It’s not a call to violence, but a call to truth that can feel just as sharp. Thinking of Jesus standing before Pilate who was about to condemn him.. saying He came to testify to The Truth. Pilate did not get it. Just over 10 months ago, my wife, her sister and I were hit by a drunk driver. My sister in law was killed, doctors told my kids we were going to die. It was traumatic, and I had every right to be angry. But i believe because of grace and the love of God for me and now with some time, I have forgiven the young woman who caused this —not because it didn’t hurt or was not evil but because Jesus *told* me to love even those who hurt me. That kind of peace isn’t weakness—it’s hard. It’s holy. And it changes people, starting with me. I am no saint. I am no holy roller. But i hope and pray i can continue to follow His command. So yeah, we fight evil—but not by becoming it. We love harder. That’s the sword I want to carry. Im sorry if i sound preachy - I dont intend that but my experience this past year is deeply profound to me. I get it that in this political world with all tge geopolitical and economic realities, this is not realistic. And yes, there are times that justify the sword but as i said earlier I think Jesus had a deeper meaning when He said it. Thanks for letting me ramble on. btw, i stumbled upon or i like to think the Holy Spirit sent it my way in the early days .. its a journey
Jesus told His apostles to carry swords. Jesus also whipped the money changers and flipped their tables. I think sometimes turning the other cheek is a kind of indifference to the suffering of others. The Maccabees kept the law of the Lord on their hearts and were willing to die for it. When it comes to love, sometimes love means getting violent, but a person better be doing it for the right reasons. Everything depends on the context, what's going on in the heart. For some it will mean killing like Samson and David. We know that karma is real. Those who live by the sword also die by the sword. We reap what we sow. So sometimes being peaceful and silent is the right thing to do, other times it isn't. Just be prepared to reap the fruits of choices made. Enduring suffering can be good, so that Divine Justice ensues. Be silent and let God cast down fire from above, give your enemy water and food thereby stacking coals on their head. Israel is sowing all sorts of bad seed and when it fruits it is going to be bad. Divine Justice kind of thing. Trump is possibly playing with fire by backing Israel while they engage in blood lust. I am just hoping that Trump is kind of giving Israel enough rope to hang themselves. He does this often. Does something that looks bad but then pivots. I think there is a good possibility that the 100 years satan was given is also the same as the loosened for a little time in Revelation 20. If so, we are currently going through the motions of things that need happen.
The words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are addressed primarily to His disciples as individuals, instructing them how to confound the world. As a whole we are the Light of the world by our humble, loving witness. Even in Matthew 10 when Christ mentions "a sword", He refers to the divisions within families that adherence to the Gospel may produce. What we are discussing here revolves more around the principles of justice and interactions between nation states. Personally, I feel President Trump is capitulating to the Zionist agenda where the interests of the citizens of America are taking second place. Things will get really messy if the attempt to cripple Iran will draw Turkey and Russia into the fracas. Putin is already mightily ticked off at the USA. Lord have Mercy!
As always, when such political responsibilities are not in our hands, it is time to pick up our beads and call upon the Two Hearts!
Excellent reflection on where we have arrived to spiritually. I could become very despondent but the anecdote is prayer. I try to pray the three rosaries daily, Rosary of 7 sorrows and reparation prayers to Holy Face also daily Mass if possible. It helps to keep me at peace.
Look at how we arrived at this stage. It wasn't a smooth transition. The British empire needed oil. The selling point for then Anglican Britain was that Israel would be their loyal Ulster in the near East. The Jews were split. Once split, they were easier to control. To this day, that's what Israel is - a divided people serving as loyal Ulster. Britain and the US are joined at the hip. They know that people with religious convictions are hardest to manipulate into doing something contrary to their core beliefs. The Brits ran a protection racket in the Middle East with the puppet governments they installed. For the most part, the US has assumed that role now. Those Sunni puppets supplied and funded jihadi terrorist groups where required. Iran, a Shia country was a thorn in their side. The Soviets gained inroads in Iran and the Iranians got an elected government that nationalised the oil industry. A huge blow to whatever British Petroleum was called then so the Anglo-American alliance organised regime change, installing the Shah, harshly imposing Western lifestyle on extremely conservative Muslims who rebelled, giving Iran a Shi-ite theocracy. The Anglo-American (sometimes with help from the French) made the most of the Sunni-Shia differences in a region where the majority branch of Islam (Sunni) is concentrated in a minority of the countries. That's what they do. They highlight differences in religions and demonise religion to the growing number of young people they wean off religion through the education system. We hear all about the divisions in Israel between the supposedly more moderate secular Jews and the "far right, extremist religious" Jews when the truth is that about 90% of all Jews in Israel support the removal of all non-Jews by any and all means, even genocide. Our Catholic religion is certainly not exempt from their interference. We have supposedly pro-life (often traditional) Catholics supporting genocide and supposedly humanity loving (mostly progressive) Catholics supporting abortion, depending on their political alliances. Any Pope is labelled either good or bad depending on how much emphasis he places on whatever their particular world view deems most important. We're being manipulated in a time when there's a major shift about to happen in world power. We saw it on this forum when the response to the murder of Catholics in Gaza was "why didn't they move". When they come for us, there will be no shortage of "devout" Catholics asking "why didn't they" and saying "we'll pray for them" rather than raising their voices for us. Prayer and practical and practical assistance are not mutually exclusive. And don't think for a minute that Russia is coming to save us. Putin is big on Moscow being the third Rome. I reckon that he will use that angle to attract disillusioned Protestants into his camp. After centuries of being indoctrinated into seeing the Pope as the AC, they will see Orthodoxy as their better option but there are major divisions in Orthodoxy too. The Greeks will resist Constantinople being replace by Moscow. None of it is good. Our best course is to hold fast to Peter the Rock. I have no wish to die. I hope and pray that I would have the strength to die for my faith, maybe for my country, but I have zero wish to die for the US Dollar, the British Pound or the Euro. They use the right Jews when it suits them and they use the right Catholics when it suits them. I'm sure they do the same in predominently Muslim countries. Watch about ten minutes of this Brian Berletic video to get the gist of how th2is war in Iran has been at least ten years in the planning. He probably has no faith, is certainly not Catholic, but these days when powerful "devout" Catholics are just mouthpieces of different strands of the death cult, anyone stating facts is worth listening to:
It's kind of inevitable to think of the current context as a foreshadowing of the war of Gog and Magog. Although Persia is directly mentioned in the prophetic context, its ally Russia—widely considered by many to be the main nation in this prophecy—seems to be deeply engaged in a spiritual battle against the "satanic West." Patriarch Kirill would have to bless the entire stockpile of weapons and troops promptly supplied by North Korea before turning his gaze toward the Middle East. However, the current wave of antisemitism, which attempts to frame or justify historical persecutions of the Jewish people—such as the pogroms in Russia and the Holocaust in Germany—seems to be a harbinger of the prophetic End Times scenario. The hatred toward Jewish communities scattered across the world, often with no connection to Zionism, clearly highlights the difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism. It may also help define when today's criticisms of the State of Israel fall into one category or the other.
I have tried to get in 3 rosaries a day and the Sacred Heart novena but I am struggling to do it. My best laid plans for daily Mass seem to fall apart. Sigh. I thank God for my holy hour once a week. It is a great blessing.
I don't achieve every day but try and get first rosary in early in the morning. I pray a rosary always when driving.
You have an amazing grasp of the world political situation. History is so important. The seeds of everything we are now witnessing are planted deep in the past. The suffering we now see is horrible but probably a drop in the ocean of what's coming.
I also do my first rosary first thing in the morning as I walk the dog. It seems to be my best rosary as I am a morning person. I also do another one walking just before mass. Any other rosaries I manage as the day goes one. But its good to have two set times when the rosary will nearly always be done. I am so sorry the Churches here are closed all the time as I would love to do little visits and adoration. Today I am going to Mass in the nearby town of Montford to a very ancient convent of Poor Clares. I hear the Liturgy is wonderful
