15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Do not think that I have come to bring peace.

Doesn’t Jesus want us to get along? That’s a fair question, given today’s Gospel. His words can sound so harsh. Does he really want us to become enemies with people in our own household?

No. But while Jesus doesn’t want us going around causing trouble, he does want us to know that there are times when following him may result in conflict with loved ones.

According to the Fathers of Vatican II, family is supposed to be “the domestic church,” the place where faith is taught and encouraged to grow (Lumen Gentium, 11). But we all have family members—either close or distant—whose religious beliefs and moral expectations are different from ours. So if we are actively trying to follow Jesus, it’s no surprise that we sometimes meet with some resistance in our homes.

Many of the Church’s greatest saints experienced this. St. Catherine of Siena, for instance, resisted her parents’ efforts to make her marry. St. Thomas Aquinas’ family locked him in a tower and hired a prostitute to tempt him. St. Clare of Assisi ran away from home to join St. Francis and refused her parents’ attempts to bring her back. But none of these heroes of the faith lashed out or sought vengeance. They tried their best to love and forgive.

Jesus never says that we shouldn’t love our family. In fact, some of our conflicts may well be the result of our own pride or lack of love. But when we center our lives around Jesus and make serving him our top priority, he promises that we’ll be able to love our family members better! We’ll become more forgiving, more understanding, and more patient when conflicts arise.

It’s not always easy to live together in peace. Sometimes we cause the conflicts, and at other times we don’t. But if you are trying to follow Jesus, he will find a way to bring good out of any situation. So pray for your own faith and for the faith of your loved ones, and trust that with God, all things are possible. Even acceptance, change, conversion, and reconciliation!

“Jesus, help me to stay true to your law of love.”

Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Psalm 124:1-8
Matthew 10:34-11:1

WORD AMONG US