Thursday, October 20,
2016
Usually, when I prepare to write
a reflection, the first thing I do is take a look at the readings for the day’s
Mass to see if I would find some inspiration. Today I didn’t find inspiration
but rather confusion and dismay.
Luke 12:51 Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I
tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided
two against three; . . . .
Not one the more user-friendly
parts of the Gospel, to be sure, and, in fact, it contradicts other things we
have come to understand, such as the title for Jesus as ”King of Peace.”
But what we have to understand
is that the “peace” that Jesus comes to bring is not worldly or political
peace, but rather true peace of heart and soul, which can only be obtained by
following Jesus and by adhering to His Gospel. And that is where all the
conflict and division comes in.
Even at the time of His birth, a
wave of violence spread through the land as Herod ordered the murder of
children in an attempt to protect himself from this new “King” the Magi told
him about. At the time of his purification, the Blessed Mother was told by the
prophet Simeon that he would be a “sign of contradiction” and that a sword
would pierce her own heart. (Luke 2:34-35) And then look at the divisions and
conflicts taking place during His earthly ministry, as sides were taken between
believers and non-believers, between those inspired to follow Him on the one
hand and the religious leaders and their followers on the other who grew to
hate him and conspired to put him to death despite all the wondrous deeds he
was doing in their midst.
The violence and division
continued throughout history. Conflicts and wars of religion among those who
claimed to follow Him abounded, particularly in the years of the so-called
Protestant Reformation. Those divisions still continue in our own time between
certain sects of Christians and the Catholic Church, and also the present of
deep divisions and animosities even within the Catholic Church itself.
In addition to that, many of us
have known division within our own families because of questions of religion
and of following Jesus’ teachings. I know in particular that more than a couple
of us monks have members of our families who do not understand or appreciate
what it is that we are doing with our lives. And you, too, perhaps: are there
tensions within your own families or are you among the few fortunate ones whose
entire family professes the same faith and attempts to live it in all areas of
their lives?
Yes, Jesus does bring conflict
and division. And I would also like to point out that often there are conflicts
and divisions within ourselves, because no matter how strong our faith may be,
there is always within is this strain of concupiscence that is the result of
original sin which produces within us an ever-dwelling tendency to pull away or
resist the next step that the Lord is laying out for us in our personal spiritual
journeys.
Don’t be dismayed at this, like
I was when I originally read today’s Gospel passage. This is simply a
description of the way things are, the way things have been, and the way things
will continue to be until that day when Christ finally comes to us again in all
His glory and power and might.
And in the meantime, once again,
I encourage you to take consolation in the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. That is
one of the only places where you can find abiding peace.
You might look here for further
commentary on this difficult passage: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/12-51.htm
God bless you and bring you
through the trials in your life!
No comments:
Post a Comment