Readings (Year C):
Jeremiah 38:4 – 6, 8 – 10
Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18
Hebrews 12:1 – 4
Luke 12:49 – 53
Reflection: A new era of peace
While growing up in two Christian faiths, both the Catholicism in which my mother raised me and the Evangelical Christianity that my father converted to, Jesus was very much branded as the Prince of Peace. Yet in today’s gospel reading, Jesus speaks of bringing division.
So which is it, Jesus? Peace or division?
The proclaimed “culture warriors” in the conservative expressions of Christianity in which I was raised often intoned Christ’s words in Luke 12 to explain why Christians needed to stand up for what was morally right. Today, in the current climate of U.S. and global politics, even with my Catholic family members whom I’ve long seen as more tolerant of diversity, there are strained relationships. Conversations are less frequent. We avoid talking about certain matters which may run the risk of shattering our relationships forever. In some cases, those of us who no longer feel safe with our families go no-contact, in order to protect our own mental health.
Are these times the division Jesus predicted in the Gospel of Luke? It’s most likely that, in writing to the newly converted, Luke referenced Jesus coming to “set the earth on fire” as a metaphor for Baptism and renewal in the Holy Spirit. I cannot help but wonder, as it seems like the world is burning down around us—with wars, with climate devastation, with eradication of basic goodness—if Jesus was referencing times like the ones in which we find ourselves now. Times where we seem to be more divided than ever, not just in the United States, but in various locations throughout the world.
Now that I find myself as a person of faith whose values are more aligned with what certain Americans condemn as more progressive, I hear people with values similar to my own also citing Christ’s words from Luke.
“We are on the right side of history!” fellow advocates proclaim. “Let’s not pretend that unity is the answer if it means selling out the poor and those who are marginalized.”
So what to do when people on both sides of a divide truly believe that they are in the moral right? Do we cut off those who are on the other side of the divide, in the name of our principles, and remain at war with them? That is certainly what many folks choose to do. That is what Jesus foretold.
As I consider the question, I hear Jesus asking in my heart: “What are you going to do with this division I created?” I can’t help but wonder if the divine flow has brought us to this place to see how we are going to respond to our fellow human beings when the divides seem insurmountable.
As someone who has staked the moral high ground on both sides of the culture wars, throughout my life and faith formation, I’ve learned that it is possible to speak your truth and stand your ground. We can flip some tables, as Jesus did. Yet in doing that, remember that Jesus also loved and broke bread with those who were anything but loving, with those who challenged him. Perhaps the necessary spiritual practice, in our times, is to recognize division and deeply contemplate how Jesus would have us navigate, drawing on his ability to be both prince of peace and a bringer of division, as an example. Perhaps this is how we do the inner work that challenges us, and work to usher in a new era of peace.
Add comment