Jesus: A Cause of Division
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Lk 12:49-53
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 49“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! 50There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! 51Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53a
father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a
mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law.”
Reflection:
To
set the earth on fire. The prophet Malachi says, “Who can bear the day
of his coming and remain standing when he appears? For he will be like
fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching” (3:2). Fire is
used to refine and purify metals of impurities. Jesus comes to purify
our lives. He cleanses us from sin and evil. He is testing us to know
where we stand. There is no neutral ground.
Divisions
in the family and in society result from the hard choices people make.
Not all choose Jesus; by not choosing Jesus, people oppose him and those
who believe in him. When we choose Jesus, we live his commandments of
love, mercy, forgiveness, and non-violence; we set aside hatred,
violence, revenge, and indifference. When we commit ourselves to Jesus,
we are ready to be separated from those who go against him, even if they
are close to our hearts.
Do you have a relative
who does not go to church and hates Church people?
How do you catechize the younger members
of your family or clan?
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