Sometimes, the Gospel message can be very challenging and can catch us off guard. I know that for me as a priest, I try to invite people to the faith and get people to work together as we try to build up God’s kingdom here on earth and as we work toward our destiny in the kingdom of eternal life. I get so tired of the division and attacks, the discord and disunity that we have in the world today. I want a world where the is more peace and healing, where we work toward wholeness and reconciliation. So when we hear Jesus talk about setting the world on fire and that his proclamation of the kingdom will bring about division, it gets our attention. The message in today’s Gospel may seem out of step to what we think our faith is about.
As we have been hearing readings from the middle of Luke’s Gospel at the weekend Masses these past few weeks, with Jesus in the midst of his public ministry and his proclamation of God’s kingdom, Jesus knows that his message can be a source of discord and disagreement. Tension and resistance to his message is building in the community in these readings. It is easy for us to assume that Jesus’ public ministry was a time of constant growth and acceptance, with the crowds being drawn to him. But his message could also be shocking and disruptive, such as in the parable of the Good Samaritan we heard a few weeks ago, when the two religious Jewish leaders ignored the man in need, and the Samaritan, a person who was seen as the enemy of the Jews, is the one who acted as a neighbor.
In Jesus’ proclamation of God’s kingdom, some of the ways of the world are turned upside down, such as God’s love for the poor and marginalized, whom were often blamed and seen as the problem. Jesus proclaimed the values of God’s love and true peace, which sometimes challenged rigid adherence to religious customs and rules. But in trying to live out our faith each day, whether it be in Ancient Israel our present-day 21st century Mississippi, sometimes the values Jesus proclaims do not seem practical for everyday life. Living this way, adhering to the values of our faith, could seem impossible to do. Some people will walk away from the faith, thinking it is too hard. It can cause conflict and division with the way many people in society live their lives.
Yet, Jesus knew that living according to the values of the kingdom bring true liberation and salvation for us, even though it could create division and conflict in our families and in our communities and in other aspects of our lives. Ultimately, God’s kingdom frees us from the rules and expectations of the secular world and offers us the true freedom that only God can give us. But, this does not mean it is easy. When we leave behind a former way of life and a former way of doing things, our lives can be turned upside down. When we look at the signs of the times through the lens of our faith, when our faith propels our words and our actions, we are not going to make everyone happy.
I want to close with this prayer from St Frances de Sales, which contains a message very appropriate to today’s Gospel:
Be at peace. Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life; rather look to them with full hope as they arise. God, whose very own you are, will deliver you from out of them. He has kept you hitherto, and he will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in his arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from suffering, or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination. AMEN.
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