Suffering in Patience

Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15

In today's Gospel portion Jesus provides us with one of the qualities of the kingdom of God - it suffers violence; it does not engage in violence.  Whether it is John the Baptist or Jesus suffering an unjust death, or martyrs suffering for their faith, or the poor and marginalized being crushed by the rich and powerful - we find that violence is the mark of the world, and those called to live in the kingdom non-violence must be our posture, the posture of love.

We might be tempted to violence as Jesus' first followers were.  But he rebuked James and John for wanting to destroy a Samaritan town by fire.  He rebuked his disciples in the garden for using a sword against those who would arrest him.  He told Pilate his kingdom was not of this world, for it is not composed of an army engaged in the violence of this world.  

The world will not be changed for the better by violence.  With every act of violence the world grows ever more violent, and every act of violence somehow justified if even an attempt is made at justification any more.  Tis far better to suffer an injustice than to commit an injustice.  Socrates taught it; Jesus lived it, and he calls us to live it as well.