Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 14, 2016 - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C [2010: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary]
[Jer 38:4-6, 8-10; Heb 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53]"Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." [Luke]
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2016 TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
[Jeremiah 30:4-6, 8-10; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53]
"Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." [Luke]
I remember well a young woman who was from a strict Christian tradition who was engaged to a Catholic man. She decided to become a Catholic but it was a very hard decision for her because she knew the pain it would cause her family and her worry that they would disown her or shun her and her husband. She is not the only person I know who has had that experience. RCIA progams and retreats are occasions for stories of that kind to be told. I know of at least two weddings I was involved with where one of the parents declared that he or she would not attend the wedding if it took place in a Catholic church or a Christian church for that matter.
It is a sad and tragic fact that religious faith can be divisive no matter what kind it is. Riots occur in India between Hindu and Buddhist people or Moslem and Christian in another area. It is even sadder when it is simply between different Christian traditions, as the Reformation demonstrated centuries ago. Jesus sadly acknowledges that his message would cause division, and Luke's gospel recalls his words, probably because that was happening in his community. I am sure that in the experience of my readers there have been difficult family discussions over religion. The "New Atheism" movement points to the divisive influence of religion as a reason for rejecting it.
Despite these difficult experiences Jesus preaches a faith that reconciles. If we humans in our weakness find this difficult, that may be a sign that we need to work harder at avoiding conflict and division in the name of God. AMEN
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