If you find the words of Jesus shocking, and seemingly out of place, you are not alone (Luke 12:49-53). After all, he is the Prince of Peace and calls peacemakers “Blessed.” We are quite comfortable when he rebukes the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees. But now he says that his followers will sometime have trouble at home and among family members. His invitation to follow is going to challenge some of the comforts of our lifestyle, for discipleship calls for radical changes in our perception of what is good and what is bad, what is acceptable behavior and what is not, and what change God expects in our lives. Friends and family members do not like it when we change, especially when those changes challenge them to reexamine their lives. Thus, living according to the gospel values will cause tension and perhaps conflict among those who are close to us. But hopefully it will cause them to change and grow with us in a new and deeper relationship with Jesus as we do our part to build up the kingdom here on earth.
- Fr. Carl
“After God, we should have a great confidence in the Blessed
Mother of Jesus, who is so good…”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars
