Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's passage from chapter 10 of Matthew's Gospel (Mt 10:34-11:1) is one that can easily be misunderstood. In fact, it has been used to point out the contradictions and/or defects in the teachings of Jesus. The fact is that belief in Jesus causes divisions…even in the strongest of families and between the closest of friends. Following Christ requires every ounce of grace that God provides in order to stay the course.
In the opening verses, Jesus declares 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 a man 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." The 'divisions' Jesus refers to can be interpreted in any number of ways. I think of the stories of families who expect their children to adhere to the Christian tradition within which they were raised, those who cannot accept the Roman Catholic tradition, or those who have never been baptized in the Christian faith. Looking at the larger picture, we know that Christians are still killed or rejected or forced to flee their homelands. I cannot help but think of the young people who, in joining my own Catholic community, have dealt with heartbreaking resistance or downright opposition from parents and family members as well as close friends. Some of them continue to deal with this and hold firm to their calling—a calling realized through a deep personal experience of the Risen Jesus. The importance of ongoing support from their community (aka…you and me) is as urgent as it is necessary. Reaching out carries a reward far greater than the effort one expends.
There are people struggling to live out their call each and every day who carry the added burden of the opposition/resistance of loved ones. Today let us pray that God sustain them in their journey and grant them the courage to endure and grant the 'peace that surpasses all understanding'. May God grant each of us the grace to reject personal indifference and actively support one another, especially our newest disciples, as we strive to stay the course of following Jesus.
-Gail Lyman