The Lord says: I think thoughts of peace, and not of affliction…

These are the words at the beginning of today’s Mass. To me, it’s as though this is a summation of the entire life of Christ. Let me explain.

So much of our day is an interior one. Yes, we often try to run from what is going on in our minds and in our hearts, but ultimately, when we lay ourselves down at night we cannot escape this interiority. Either, we become sanctified through this daily process or we become tormented and create our own roadblock to our peace. It is apparent that in our modern world, the latter is much more frequent. So many are sad, depressed, angry, impatient, the list goes on, for they are not at peace, and if they continue in their same fashion, they will not reach true peace.

Now to turn to our Lord and the words from the introit: I think thoughts of peace… think about this for a second, think about our Lord thinking. It sounds odd and like a waste of time, but do it. Think on the fact that through the whole life of Christ, in the manger, in the home of Mary and Joseph, in the Temple, in his ministry, in the agony in the garden, the false accusations, the scourging, especially the crowning with thorns, the Ecce Homo, the carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion, he was thinking about you. We know that it is our sins, your sins, my sins, that caused Christ all this suffering to the giving of his Life. My sins alone are sufficient to have nailed Christ to the Cross; I nailed Christ to the Cross and must recognize this every time I look upon Our Lord Crucified. Christ, however, if I were the only one needing to be saved, would have still suffered all for my redemption. How often do we think on this? When will we begin to care?

And, through it all, Christ was thinking thoughts of peace. We can barely wait behind the person in the grocery line or put up with most other small inconveniences. And yet Christ, giving of himself entirely, was thinking about your transgressions, your weaknesses, your failure to love him and yet he was thinking thoughts of peace. How contrary this is to the ways we choose to love, following solely our preferences and setting a limit to the love we will give. There is a depth and an intimacy to all the moments in the life of Christ, in a sense that which ties everything together in relation to you, of course it’s his love, but also these thoughts of Christ reveal so much when we reflect on our interiority. How much goes on within us that we can’t explain or are never able to share with even family and our closest friends? Well, Christ has shared with you the intimacy of his thoughts, will you pause and take some time to reflect and respond in love to Christ, the King and Giver of Peace?