Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, July 13, 2026

Gospel

Matthew 10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.

I have come to bring not peace but the sword.

For I have come to set

a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

and one’s enemies will be those of his household.“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,

and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

and whoever does not take up his cross

and follow after me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it,

and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.“Whoever receives you receives me,

and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet

will receive a prophet’s reward,

and whoever receives a righteous man

because he is righteous

will receive a righteous man’s reward.

And whoever gives only a cup of cold water

to one of these little ones to drink

because he is a disciple–

amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,

he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Reflection

This Gospel can be quite jarring upon the first read through, with Jesus claiming He has come not to bring peace but the sword. These words seem to contradict everything we know about His mission. Yet, when we dive a little deeper, we begin to see that the peace Jesus speaks of is not simply the absence of conflict. It is the peace that comes from living in the fullness of truth, and the truth is not always easy to receive.

We all desire peace, but peace comes in many different forms and meanings. Sometimes we settle for a false kind of peace...the kind that avoids difficult conversations in order to keep everyone comfortable. Jesus is not calling us to this kind of peace. He calls us to a peace rooted in Him, even when following Him creates tension with those around us. This does not mean of course that we should seek conflict for its own sake. Rather, it reminds us that conflict is sometimes necessary if we are to arrive at a deeper understanding, or healing conversation.

This leads me to wonder...what kind of peace am I seeking?