“"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think
that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but
rather division.” Luke 12:49-51
Today’s Gospel contains a message that many Christians prefer to skip over. Let’s get to the part about peace and good will, can’t we? But there it is. Jesus, saying that He has come to bring division, not peace. That He has come to set the earth on fire, and is filled with anguish as He awaits the fulfillment of His mission: His baptism on the cross. That His message will be a source of contention, even among family members. That all who believe in this suffering Messiah will walk a path that is strewn with thorns and rife with conflict and division.
Although Jesus gives us this warning, it’s difficult to experience this kind of conflict and division in our own lives and families. Have you ever been mocked or hated because of your belief in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church? You are in good company, because our Lord Jesus was mocked and persecuted for teaching the truth, by the very people He had come to save. He offered salvation to the chosen people of God, yet many rejected Him. He taught the multitudes, but was rejected by the people of His hometown. He was challenged, derided, and condemned to death by the teachers and leaders of His time. Although He knew the suffering that was to come, Jesus never hesitated to speak the truth. By following the will of the Father, He conquered sin and death.
We know that in eternity, sin and death have been overcome by the victory of Christ. But in this fallen world, we still suffer the effects of sin. Anyone who has ever spoken the truth of the Gospel in defense of marriage, family, or life, knows how quickly opposition arises.
We experience this conflict and division, yet all the while if we are attentive, Jesus is whispering true peace into our hearts. The peace that passes all understanding, the peace in the midst of a storm, the peace of trying to follow God’s will. So don’t grow weary, and don’t lose heart. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. He will show you the way to peace.
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