Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I Have Come To Set son Against His Father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.”
Wow! Did Jesus really say this? This is one of those passages that can leave us a bit baffled, confused, and mesmerized.
Does He really want to bring the “sword” and division rather than peace?
In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read “The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. (Hebrew 4:12)
God’s word is a like a two-edged sword, hmmm. Jesus brings “sword”!
The Word of God is a SWORD. Truth is challenging. Doesn’t it say, “The Truth shall set you free.”
If you want to see for yourself, I will suggest that you place a yard sign in front of your house that says, “Marriage is between a man and woman” or “Every life is previous.” You will be surprised by the reactions you will get from people, even from among your friends, neighbors, and family.
Jesus makes it clear that to be his disciple will not be an easy path, and that holding firmly to spiritual truth will generate an equally firm resistance from others. The message of the Gospel, the Word of God, divides us from those who refuse to be united to God in the Truth. Those who reject the Truth of the Gospel places themselves at odds with the Truth and with everyone who welcomes this Truth.
God has set His moral law over all of humanity. God establishes what is Right and what is not Right. As we know in our society, our culture wants us to believe in what is called “relativism.” Relativism is the idea that what is good and true for me may not be good and true for you but that, in spite of all having different “truths,” we can still all be one happy family. But that’s not the Truth!
The truths of our faith, the Gospel cannot be undone. And that law is as true for me as it is for you or anyone else. If you hold onto the Truth and by rejecting all forms of relativism, you will have its price to pay- risk division, even with those in one’s own families and households.
Hence, the Word of God is like a two–edged sword, it challenges us. When we are rejected, called names, or abused because of the Gospel, we should not be afraid, rather we should be consoled by the words of the Psalmist today’s responsorial Psalm “Our help is in the name of the Lord” (Psalms 124:1B-3, 4-6, 7-8.)
Jesus also said somewhere in the Gospel “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross* and follow after me is not worthy of me.” (Matt.10:37-38)
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church – Tertullian.
“…..our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)
Have a blessed Week!
