Following Jesus is the Ultimate Good

08-14-2016Weekly Reflection

"From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three." What a sad image Jesus paints in today's Gospel. Causing family strife--fathers against sons and mothers against daughters--is not the effect we like to imagine Jesus having on people. But as he says today, "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." The fact is, and always has been, that not everyone chooses to follow Christ. This causes conflict.

Perhaps it is most tragic when this tension takes place within families. When certain members of the family desire to live a full Christian life, to follow the commandments and worship God as he asks, this can be irritating at best and infuriating at worst to other family members who want nothing to do with Jesus or his church. But faith must persist in spite of domestic turmoil. Following Jesus is the ultimate good; preserving peace is secondary. In a sense, today's Gospel gives faithful Christians permission to move forward in their faith even if it doesn't make everybody happy.

However, all of this needs to be understood in the light of Jesus' desire to bring peace. He often used the greeting, "Peace be with you," and clearly promised peace to his disciples. Today's Gospel should not be taken to mean that Jesus desires division. Rather, he is acknowledging the fact that division will inevitably result as people declare their differing allegiances. But thankfully, when we align ourselves with Christ, we are also uniting ourselves to the One who can restore peace even in the midst of conflict. So when we see turmoil arise, let's call upon the power of the true Prince of Peace.

BACK TO LIST