But then we get to the Gospel, and the tone turns darker. Now Jesus is saying that he is not bringing peace but discord. He is not keeping families together, but instead breaking them apart. This seems odd and wrong to us now. Many families are strengthened by their bond of religion. “The family that prays together, stays together.” But then Jesus was bringing a pretty radical idea into the world, and people who followed his lead were often persecuted. It was dangerous to be an early Christian. It was safer to keep to the staus quo. And many families then felt they had a strong bond with the religion they had been practicing. This new religion did not come quietly and peacefully into the world but sparked wars and did set the world ablaze. There have been many religious wars since. And back then families were torn apart when one member of the family or two turned their backs on the rest and left everything to follow the messiah. Even today if a member of a family converts to a different religion it can cause conflict. It caused a bit of commotion in my family when I converted to Catholicism when I was at college. But God is calling us to follow, to do his will, and to put nothing before God in our lives. Not even family or serenity. It’s not so hard to play for him on my harp – I actually have a harp and can play it. It’s maybe even easier to greet the Lord with my song. It’s harder to put God before our families, before our jobs, before our friends, before our desires, but when God is first in our lives, the rest will fall into place. |