Word to the Wise
Monday, July 12, 2021 - Monday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 1:8-14, 22 and Matt 10:34—11:1]"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the word. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever dins his life will lose it, and who loses his life for my sake will find it." [Matthew]
Family divisions are painful, especially when they concern matters of religious faith. In my pastoral experience, this has shown up when a Chistian man or woman marries a non-Christian man or woman. The tension at the wedding events can be felt, but it would begin much earlier with phone calls from worried parents or relatives. Will the children be baptized? The experience is painful not only for the Christian family but the non-Christian family. At least this division is understandable, but when it is a matter of two different Christian traditions, the pain can be just as real. Will there be a First Communion/Confirmation, etc etc.
Another example from my pastoral experience arises from college students who become involved with a "Christian" or even a "Catholic" group that seems to teach that what the student believes (and by extension, their family) is not "orthodox." Catholic students are particularly vulnerable to this because biblical literacy among Catholics is still abysmal, and knowledge is lacking of the difference between pious Catholic "traditions" and the 'Tradition" which is our faith.
Jesus' warnings to the disciples as they became committed to him 2000+ years ago are quite modern! Faith can bring division when social or political mores are involved or treasured customs are threatened. It is not a matter of loving Jesus "more" than family, it is a matter of seeing family as the "neighbor" in the great commandment of love of God and neighbor. The challenge is to find a way forward so that every decision is made in the light of faith, rather than faith being just one of many variables to be considered. The early Christian community experienced what Jesus meant and so do we. AMEN