Dear Parishioners,
The Gospel reading for this
Sunday (Lk. 12: 49-53)
might make a person very uncomfortable or even troubled. If you have been fed a type of sugar-sweet
Jesus most of your life—being presented only with an
ultra-compassionate, always-forgiving, never-judgmental savior—then you could
seriously doubt that Jesus would ever say such things. One reaction to this Gospel might be to gloss over it quickly. Let’s pretend
that it does not exist. This is not
the Jesus I know. He is
merciful, forgiving, and patient. He
prays in St. John’s Gospel (17:21) “that they all may be one. . . .” He would never want any division among us.
There’s a problem when we do not see
the more complete picture of Jesus as presented in the Gospels. Jesus is the one who called the scribes and
pharisees a brood of vipers (Mt. 12:34), hypocrites and white-washed tombs (Mt. 23: 27). He told us to pluck out our eyes and
to cut off our hands (Mt.
5: 29-30) to avoid sin. He made a
whip out of cords and overturned the money changers tables in the temple (Jn. 2: 13-16). He called Peter, his close friend, “Satan”
and told him to get behind Him (Mt.
16:23). In the Gospel this
Sunday, He speaks about casting fire on the earth and creating division—even
within families.
What gives?
How we react to Jesus’ teaching
might just depend on how we are living our lives. Jesus sometimes has to jolt people out of
complacency or erroneous thinking. “You
are thinking not as God does but as human beings do.” (Mt. 16:23) He requires a
radical change in our way of living when we are headed to eternal
destruction. “Go [and] from now on do
not sin any more.” (Jn. 8: 11) He demands things from us that are not
appealing. “If anyone wishes to come
after me, he must deny himself and pick up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk. 9:23) One thing that
can be determined upon thorough investigation:
Jesus was not some pushover and his teaching inevitably made an
impact on people. “ . . . For he taught
them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” (Mt. 7: 29)
Jesus’ chosen path to freeing us
from sin and eternal damnation was through the cross. It involved suffering and a sacrificial
love. It involved the Son of God being
put to death by His creatures. His life
and teaching cast a fire upon the earth.
He jolted those who were complacent in their sin. He upset the status quo and the
religious leaders of His time. And some totally
resented Him. Some wanted to see Him
dead. Crucify Him! Crucify Him!
The reaction today to Jesus’
teaching and to his actions can and does
create division in families, in communities, and in nations throughout the
world. The call to conversion and
repentance does not necessarily bring peace to those resistant to change. People can become very, very comfortable in
their sin. Nobody is going to tell me
what to do. Some might follow Him,
while others reject Him. His moral
requirements require a decision from us.
If one tries to straddle the fence, it promises not to go well. “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3: 15-16)
Does Jesus’ teaching upset you?
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
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