Jesus said to his disciples in today’s gospel: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” The first thing that might come to our mind is the fire of the Holy Spirit. This is something we would also like to see happen during our lives, for the light and warmth of love to illuminate our families, communities and the whole world too. Love, peace, harmony and happiness is something every single human being longs for throughout their lives. But, Jesus did not come for peace but division, as evident in today’s gospel.
We’re often sad, depressed or anxious because love, peace and happiness do not always dominate our family life. In fact, many people seem to feel like they are not a good Catholic because their family does not measure up to the perfect Catholic families that we see in church every week. There are also some Catholics who attend mass alone each week and look at these perfect Catholic marriages and large happy families and feel like they are lacking in holiness, somehow.
Parents of young adult children can sometimes feel like a failure as a Catholic parent. Perhaps their child was taught well about the Catholic faith, and the parents set a good example for their children, but still the children choose to pursue sin instead of living a virtuous life. The first reading today could be a little painful for parents of adult children to read, but it can also give them a lot of hope that their children will not persist in living a life of sin.
Saint Paul writes, “For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin you were free from righteousness. But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed?” Many adult children eventually come to realize this, that what the church taught was the truth and their parents were right after all. It just takes a while for them to come to this realization.
We should never quit setting a good example for our children, and also speak the truth with charity when they are doing things wrong as an adult. So many people just tolerate their children, or their spouse’s sinful behavior in an effort to keep the peace, and not risk losing their love. But this attitude is contrary to what Jesus teaches us in today’s gospel:
“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided … a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother.”
To speak the truth in charity and in love does not always produce peace and harmony. No one wants to be told they are doing something wrong, but if you do not tell them, then the evil or sinful behavior will continue to exist. Without resistance to evil it will prevail. This is worth repeating. Without resistance to evil it will prevail. Have you ever heard this clique? “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing?”
It takes courage as a disciple of Jesus Christ to be willing to speak up for the gospel values, to speak up for the right thing, even if it causes discord in the family and even if it causes you to temporarily lose the love of your family member. To not do so, denies the teachings of Christ.
Daily Mass Readings:
Rom 8: 1-11 / Ps 24: 1-6 / Lk 13: 1-9
