Wonderful advice from Isaiah 1 in our first reading today…”Cease doing evil; learn to do good.” In the Gospel from Matthew 10, Jesus tells the Apostles that he will be a source of division.
Isn’t Jesus sometimes a paradox in our families? Some families are united by their mutual love for Jesus. Weddings, Baptisms, Anniversaries…many of these blessed family moments center around Christ and His Church. Families come together to celebrate their love for God and for one another. Awesome, isn’t it? Yet this isn’t the case in all families.
In many families, Jesus truly is that source of division. I’ve seen many families where there is no religion at all and one family member gives their life to Christ, only to become the “black sheep.” In other families one member may go off to another Christian tradition, leaving behind the “old ways” and with it, the rest of the family. I’ve found in my own family that my “finding religion” changed the family dynamic. But don’t say you weren’t warned! Jesus said that He would divide families. The question is, will we allow Him to bridge the gap?
Father, help us to love and serve those family members from whom we have been divided because of our faith in Christ. May we always be a witness to His love. Amen.
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