Jeremiah 38:4 In those days, the princes said to the king: “Jeremiah ought to be put to death.” Hebrews 12:4 Brothers and sisters: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. Luke 12:49-51 Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
In our contentious world there is always the need for peace makers, as our Lord said at the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the peace makers.” So why in Luke 12 does Jesus seem to contradict Himself by saying that He has not come to establish peace “but rather division?” What does this mean? Which saying is correct? Well, of course, both of them.
Each emphasizes a different perspective yet the same picture. Jesus is the Lord of Love, the Prince of Peace, who has established His gentle reign over the whole world. Never does He force us to follow Him, but he invites us to come after Him because He wants the best for us, the Godly way. He calls us to love one another, to be like brothers and sisters to each other. He opposes hatred and all that is evil. He does not want wars, killing, and all other forms of inhuman behavior. His greatest law is Love, and when we love God and others we enter into His Kingdom even now. The Golden Rule will always remain: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This will always be a rule of thumb in living the Christian life.
The above sentiments of the Lord are clear. But then why does He even mention division? Why does He speak of the most painful divisions that can occur even at the heart of family life? I would imagine that our Lord is telling us that though we must be peacemakers from one point of view that does not mean we will not experience opposition, persecution, even hatred for our Faith. The Christian does not just go along to get along like a politician seeking votes. He does not kneel before the world simply because a large number act and think a certain way that may contradict God and His commandments. Putting it another way, Christians must be strong in Faith,
fortes in fide. There is the old Latin expression: “
Fortiter in re; suaviter in modo; strong in principles, but kind in methods.” There comes a time when Christians must stand up and be counted come what may even if it brings martyrdom.
The example given in the first reading is that of Jeremiah. What was his crime? He merely responded to God’s call to be a prophet and then presented to the people of his day the mind of God. For this he was persecuted. If he had remained silent or had back tracked on his statements, he could have avoided all the nastiness and persecution. Instead, he chose to obey God rather than men. That is the issue. And there are times when we will experience opposition and even hatred not because we willfully antagonize others, but simply because of our witness to Christ. The forces of evil and darkness are not merely content when they get their way with this law or that, but they want those who think and act differently to be silenced. We will not be silenced! Instead by siding with Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life we are part of the transformation of the world only Christ brings. We are His light shining in the darkness. That is why we are advised by the writer of Hebrews to “keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.”