Gospel: Luke 12:49-53
I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what anguish I feel until it is finished!
Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, in one house five will be divided: three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in- law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Reflections
“Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth?”
Is the Lord divisive? One answer is no. Jesus desires unity. This was in fact revealed to us in the so-called high priestly prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of St. John (cf. John 17: 21). Even St. Pope John Paul II acknowledged this as a challenge to the Church from the Lord in his 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint, quoting Vatican II dec­ree Unitatis Redintegratio: "the Church is… sent to the world to announce and witness, to make present and spread the mystery of communion which is essential to her, and to gather all people and all things into Christ, so as to be for all an 'inseparable sacrament of unity’” (5). God’s eternal plan is to put all things united under Christ (cf. Eph. 1:9-10). And, needless to say, yes, Christ also brings peace (cf. Eph. 2:14).
But placed in the context of the whole Chapter 12 of Luke’s gospel, another answer to the question “Is the Lord divisive?” is yes! The Lord’s return demands faith, and faith is a choice. In life, as we prepare for his return, it is either we are on his side or against him. Our choice might create opposition even from our family. But the wisest option is to be on the side of Christ because our loyalty to him will matter most in his return than our fidelity to family ties.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019