Gospel

‘I have not come to give peace but division.’
Luke 12:49–53

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five 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 mother-in-law.’

The Gospel of the Lord

The Fire of Love.

Lord, the fire You speak to us about is the fire of Your Love, the love of God, the truth that transforms the heart and the Spirit who urges us to live in a new way. You desire this fire to burn because You have not come to leave us indifferent. Your message invites us to change, to abandon selfishness, to forgive and to love even when doing so is difficult. When You tell us that You have not come to bring peace, but division, You are not inviting us to provoke conflict; You are warning us that living according to the Gospel can lead to misunderstanding, even among the people we love most. Not everyone accepts the same values or is willing to follow the same path. We can experience these difficulties in our own families, too. Jesus, You do not ask us to stop loving our loved ones, but rather to let our love for God help us to love them better and draw them closer to You: without controlling, without humiliating, without lying and without abandoning what is good out of fear of conflict. And when You speak of the baptism You must undergo, Jesus, You express the anguish You feel at the suffering that awaits You. You know the price of Your self-giving, and yet You continue on Your way out of love for us.

Applied to Married Life

Rose: Hi, John. You seem a little quiet and distant. Is something wrong?
John: Yes, Rose, you know me so well. There’s something I need to tell you, and I don’t know how to do it because you might not like it.
Rose: Tell me without fear. You know you can always count on me, whatever it is.
John: I know, Rose, but I don’t like hurting you, especially through my clumsiness, and even less through my selfishness. I’ve committed us to helping the parish with a marriage preparation course.
Rose: Well, John, that’s not a bad thing at all; quite the opposite, it’s a great idea, and you know I’ve always agreed with you about taking part in anything that helps others.
John: It would be for the whole weekend, and it’s the last weekend of this month.
Rose: Oh, that’s the same weekend we were going to have a family meal with all my family. Well, I think they’ll understand, although I was really looking forward to it. But helping with what you’ve been asked to do seems more important to me.
John: But there’s more. I could have chosen another weekend because the parish priest, Father Manuel, was happy to change the date so that we could take part. But I chose that weekend because I really didn’t feel like going to your family gathering. At the time, I saw the opportunity and put myself before everyone else.
Rose: Now I understand your silence. But don’t worry; it means much more to me that you’ve told me yourself than if I’d found out another way. Although I already knew, Father Manuel called me to tell me about it and explain how he wanted us to run the course.
John: And you’re not going to get angry?
Rose: Honestly, it makes me sad, but I can’t get angry over something like this. I understand you because I know my family isn’t easy, and I know you always make an effort. And although I was really looking forward to it, I understand. There will be other opportunities.
John: Forgive me, Rose, and thank you so much for welcoming me and accepting me in this situation. You’re wonderful. I love you.

Mother,
Help us to allow God’s love to transform our lives, even when that transformation is not always understood by others. Blessed be God.