“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
These words of Jesus from the Gospel according to Luke sound awfully close to home when they relate directly to family. A household of five, Jesus says, will be divided three against two and two against three. It describes the state of a family—any family, then as well as now—divided by clashing beliefs or opinions.
God, help me understand that Jesus came to set the earth on fire. It was out of mercy that God sent his Son to die and rise to destroy sin and death. And, yes, he came to divide, if what joins the nuclear family and the larger human family is a façade that crumbles under the weight of truth. Through his crucifixion, Jesus set the fire blazing and it is blazing still—separating lies from truth, false unity from authentic unity, and sin from grace.
Lord, I know you want me to hear your voice and follow you. As the Gospel acclamation says, “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” For the times I do not follow you and know that it is not for my good, come to my aid and show me a way past my failings. Help pick me up and set me on the straight path. In the Eucharist, Jesus, you are truly present—body and blood, soul and divinity. Stay close to me today when I stumble and when I fail to recognize your presence.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.