In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).
And yet, in today’s Gospel, Jesus seems to proclaim something quite different:
“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, three against two and two against three; 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, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:51–53)
Is Jesus contradicting himself?!
No, our Lord is calling us to a deeper commitment, to realize he’s the source of true unity, the only one who gives true life and freedom (John 14:6; 8:31–32), and that, if forced to take sides, we must choose Christ and his Catholic Church, as St. Matthew adds in Jesus’s exhortation to his apostles (see Matt 10:37–40).
Is Something or Someone Taking Precedence in Life with the Lord?
What’s keeping you from having Jesus as the true Lord of your life?
For the rich, young man, it was material wealth. Even though he had faithfully kept the Ten Commandments in general, he balked when Jesus invited him to fully commit, to remove all obstacles that came between him and the Lord (Matt. 19:16–26).
There’s nothing wrong with being materially rich, provided we are not possessed by our possessions and instead use our wealth to advance the kingdom (see Matt. 6:33). In contrast, Jesus knew this man’s possessions held a problematic priority, and, unfortunately—at least at that time—the young man was not ready to receive and act on Christ’s tough-love appeal.
Perhaps it’s someone whom you’ve allowed to skew your priorities, and thus not be all-in for Christ and his Church. Perhaps, as can be applied from today’s Gospel, you’re compromising with your adult children, i.e., condoning their relationships that involve fornication, adultery, or sodomy, including letting them and the ones with whom they are sinning stay overnight in your home in the same bed, lest you jeopardize your earthly harmony with them.
Always love them in humble charity, affirm the good aspects of their friendships, and strive to maintain or renew communication with loved ones in such circumstances; and so, don’t dwell on their transgressions in your conversations. Yet, remember that it’s not, “I love you, but. . ..” Rather, it’s “I love you, and, because I love you, I witness to you about our Lord Jesus’s saving love and peace, which the world cannot possibly hope to give (see John 3:16; 14:27).
Trust the Lord in these trials and stay close with your brothers and sisters in Christ for further support, knowing that the Lord will see you through your difficulties.
Keep Our Eucharistic Savior Jesus Front and Center
In doing so, remember to encounter our Lord fruitfully through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Many of his disciples, when they heard Christ’s “hard saying” on the Eucharist, drew back from him (John 6:60–61, 66), because they knew that embracing his teaching would separate them from their Old Covenant confreres, who would view the doctrine as blasphemous and heretical. Indeed, the Jewish leaders sought Jesus’s death after His Bread of Life Discourse (John 7:1; see Deut. 13:1-5).
St. Paul affirms that the Eucharist is the sacrament of unity (1 Cor. 10:16–17), and yet we must approach our Lord worthily, lest we “eat and drink judgment upon” ourselves (1 Cor. 11:27–30). As we celebrate our Eucharistic Revival in the Catholic Church in America these few years, and worldwide for that matter, let us proclaim our Lord’s unifying words amidst a divided world: “[H]e who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:54).
