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Have you ever had a quarrel with your brother, your sister or one of your parents? How far did it get? Did you get physical? Was it just a battle of words with lots of shouting and cursing? Was it so frustrating that you decided to remain silent for days and days, locking yourself up in your room and not eating meals with the family?
What was it all about anyway? Was it about asking permission to go somewhere and you were refused? Was it about the use of your things or their things – things so important to you and it is lost or damaged?
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What was Jesus talking about when He said in Luke 12:52-53 – “from now on, in one house, five will be divided; three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother…” He even says, “I came to bring division, not peace”!
Those words of Jesus could be so upsetting because we have always thought of Jesus as our Life, our Peace and our Joy, right? Was He saying that we could go ahead and quarrel if we disagree on any trite reason? Maybe even the Jews listening to Him at that time were confused.
I am sure that is not what He meant. Two centuries later, we see that Jesus was actually predicting what was going to happen in the world. Yes – so much war and division among people because of religions, ideas about God and religious practices, morality and authority. Some national leaders insist that their religion should be the legal religion for all the people in that country, thus subjecting those who do not believe to much injustice, deprivation, or even torture and imprisonment.
While faith should be a factor in peace and understanding, it could also separate people even within the family. How often a mother comes to me expressing her concern that her son or daughter now is a Born-again Christian and no longer goes to Sunday Mass. Her insistence that they pray the rosary together only brings a lot of arguments so she just keeps quiet but she is so hurt and worried deep in her heart. Sometimes a student says his parents belong to two different religions. He observes his parents quarreling and pulling the children to their side until they end up not going to any church at all.
This is not what Jesus would have wanted, but He knew that He would be a cause of division because what is required to be a genuine follower of Jesus is not easy. Jesus was a respecter of persons and He wants us to go to Him on our own free will, not because of fear or pressure.
Thank God that Jesus also speaks of Himself as fire, and not only a cause of division. A few sentences ahead, we read in Luke 12:49-50: “I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled”. What? You might say? Jesus will burn the earth? Again, He was not speaking of fires that burn houses and fields. The fire He was speaking of is the fire of love, the Gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the image of fire that purifies ore into gold, burns all that is old and sinful and gives warmth to foster life.
To connect this with the message of Jesus on the house divided, the fire He was speaking of is about the judgment of God destroying all who do not obey His commandments of love. He does not come to solve everyone’s problems individually but to remake the world and to bring jewels which will remain for eternity. Those wishing to have a share in the glory of God the Father, as Jesus does, must take part in the work of salvation even if the world is filled with tensions, violence and crazy achievements.
The Gospel for this Sunday is really hard to understand. I hope that my brief explanation will bring you closer to understanding how much Jesus loves us.
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