Luke 12:49-53

Romans 6:19-23

Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Luke 12:49-53

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.

From now on a household of five will be divided,

three against two and two against three;

a father will be divided against his son

and a son against his father,

a mother against her daughter

and a daughter against her mother,

a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, send forth your Spirit into my heart that I may understand your divine Word. Grant me the gift of counsel so that I may know what to say and how to act within my family. I want to bring all my family members to share in your divine life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Fire and Baptism: In the Gospel, we hear how Jesus desires to send the Holy Spirit upon the earth. He will do this fifty days after his “baptism,” that is, after his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit will manifest itself as tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost. This is how Jesus sets the earth on fire. It is the gift and fire of divine Love that Jesus sends that sets the world ablaze. In this way, Jesus fulfills the promise made to Abraham of a universal blessing for all the families and nations of the world. The fire of the Spirit purifies us and empowers us to give witness to Christ. Fire also symbolizes God’s presence, power, holiness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit truly transforms us to be children of God and soldiers of Christ in the world.

2. The Tribulation of Division: Jesus brings both peace and division. Some will accept and welcome the peace he brings. And others will reject his peace, resulting in division. The division will be so deep that it will affect household relationships. This was prophesied centuries before Jesus by Micah: “For the son belittles his father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and your enemies are members of your household” (Micah 7:6). Micah’s description of familial strife was followed by a description of Israel’s regathering and restoration by the divine Shepherd who performs wonderful signs (Micah 7:12-15). What Jesus foretells is that he, the divine Shepherd, has set in motion this time of tribulation, marked by deep division within Israel concerning him. The time of tribulation will be followed by the time of salvation and restoration. The restoration will continue throughout history and will only be complete at his glorious second coming. Until then, Jesus’ disciples “must be willing to bear with the divisions that may result among family and friends” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 248).

3. The Wages of Sin and the Gift of God: In the Letter to the Romans, Paul is still addressing possible misunderstandings. A person could erroneously think that we should keep sinning so that more grace is unleashed upon the earth by God (Romans 6:1). A person could also erroneously think that we are free to sin because we are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:15). And Paul answers that our freedom fromsin does not give us the freedom to sin. Paul even argues that we are liberated from sin and its oppression initially through baptism and that this makes us “slaves” of righteousness (Romans 6:18). We have new responsibilities as members of God’s family. At the beginning of today’s First Reading, Paul points out that he is speaking in “human terms.” He is using the metaphor of slavery since this was familiar to the Romans. He also appeals to our common experience of struggling to overcome sin in our lives. We are no longer slaves to impurity and sin. Freed from sin, we have become slaves of God. “Serving God leads to greater and greater degrees of sanctification and eventually to eternal life” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 106). Paul concludes that eternal death is payment (wages) for a life of service to sin and that eternal life is the gift of God that Christ offers us.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I do not know how to pray as I ought. I need to sit again and again at your feet and learn from you. Guide my thoughts and prayers so that I may ask for good things from the Father.

Living the Word of God: Am I able to discern when I need to be a peacemaker and when I need to be a sign of contradiction? Peace is not naïve toleration. It is the tranquility of order. It is not opposed to justice or truth. How can I order my life more properly to experience the peace of Christ? What are the areas of disorder I am called to address, with charity and truth, in my family life and professional life?