Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
If Jesus came to establish not peace on the earth, but division, then our world is doing a really good job at following His plan. But, it seems that division is more of a product of our fallen world rather than God’s designs. Yet, divisions will arise, because Jesus challenges us to make a decision. When Jesus calls each of us to follow Him, it’s to put Him first, before family, before our other plans, and to make the sacrifices necessary to do so. Making such a decision won’t always create harmony, among families or even in communities. His will, or at least His prayer to the Father is that “they may be one just as we are” (John 17:21).
Division happens—on a human level it stems from misunderstandings, jealousy, and conflict of values or interests. The evil one likes to exploit these tensions and create further division. When Christ enters this world, and enters into our lives, He acts like a blazing fire, which purifies us gradually of our selfishness. He wants to burn away all that is opposed to God’s desire for us—which, yes, is very painful. Fr. Jacques Philippe wrote: “The struggle for purity of heart requires keeping one’s heart free from anything that can harm it by causing it to lose its capacity to love.” The committed disciple of Jesus is therefore called to do just this—remain in the struggle to keep our heart free, so that our capacity to love may grow, and we can seek to build up and promote the true peace found in Christ Jesus.
Reflection by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections