The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 10:34-11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
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 finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward. “When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Reflection: At first read, this appears to be a difficult teaching or harsh words from of our Lord. But when properly understood, it is clear that it helps us keep our relationships in check with God and with our family properly ordered. He calls his followers to take up our crosses, promising that true life is found only by surrendering ourselves to Him. Following this command will never result in a lack of love for family; rather, it will help us to love solely with the heart of Christ.
Jesus is asking us to be allegiant to The Gospel. He is stating an uncomfortable reality: when a person fully commits to the truth of the Gospel, it inevitably causes friction with the values of the world. If those closest to you do not share your devotion to Christ, your faith can become a source of division within the household. The “sword” represents the painful but necessary separation between the demands of the Gospel and the demands of secular society.
What does this teaching of Jesus require of us? Simply put, if a family member, or anyone else, imposes expectations on us that are contrary to the will of God, then we must choose the will of God over those other expectations. To understand this more clearly, think about how one might choose to love “father or mother” or “son or daughter” more than God. Say, for example, that a child chooses to go astray in their moral or faith life, and they want their parents to support them in their sin. But the parents remain firm in their moral convictions and, out of love, offer no support for the immoral lifestyle their child has chosen. This will become especially difficult for the parents if the child becomes angry and criticizes the parents, with the claim that the parents are being judgmental and are lacking in love. What the child is actually requesting is “Mom and dad, you must love me more than God and His laws.” And if the parents do not support their child’s misguided lifestyle, the relationship may be deeply wounded.
This is one of the reasons that Jesus followed this command by saying, “and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” Love always involves the Cross.
Action of the Day: Think about the crosses that you bear. Ask God to help you get through them.
Audio Reflection:
