fighting over the will
" 'Peace' is My farewell to you, My peace is My gift to you." —John 14:27
In Jesus' last will and testament, He left His disciples the gift of shalom-peace. This means He left us a godly order and harmony in our lives. Jesus' Church is the executor of His will in that He has given it the responsibility of spelling out the details of shalom-peace. If we accept our inheritance from the Lord and listen to His Church, we will have a peace, joy, and freedom which will last forever.
However, Satan tries to convince us that what we have inherited from Jesus is not very good or that we should not trust the Lord and His Church in the execution of His will. Satan wants us to contest the will. For example, some Christians think that by contraception they can better order their marital sexual relations. Each day it becomes clearer that these Christians are wrong and have instead brought destructive disorder into their marriages, families, lives, and society. Others, in their stupidity and insecurity, have rejected the shalom-peace from tithing, almsgiving, and stewardship. They too have shown that the Lord was right again about shalom-peace, life, and happiness.
The shalom-peace the Lord has left us in His will is such a great and all-encompassing gift that it is more than we can comprehend. Therefore, we must humbly and carefully follow the Lord's directions through His Church. Otherwise, we will deprive ourselves of everlasting blessings, life, and love. Don't contest the will; rather, enter the mystery of God.
Prayer: Father, make me a shalom-maker no matter what I will suffer (see Mt 5:9).
Promise: "They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, leaving him there for dead. His disciples quickly formed a circle about him, and before long he got up." —Acts 14:19-20
Praise: It was in the face of a threatened lawsuit against their family that Joan and Thomas found their faith to be unifying and God to be their Shield (Ps 28:7).
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, October 9, 2003
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 14, 2003