SUNDAY’S GOSPEL – Luke 12:49-53
[Jesus said:] “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptised, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-inlaw and daughter-in-law against mother-inlaw.”
POINTERS FOR PRAYER
- The commitment of Jesus to his mission is shown in his desire to undergo the baptism that awaits him. Have there been times when there was something you greatly hoped for, even though you knew there would be a baptism of fire along the way? What was it like for you to undergo such a baptism of fire and then arrive at what you desired?
- Jesus recognised that the message he proclaimed would meet with a mixed reception. This did not hold him back from proclaiming the Reign of God. When have you seen this kind of courage in yourself, or in others?
- Jesus challenged those listening to him to commit themselves to discipleship, despite opposition from those close to them, even family members. When have you found that being true to yourself and to your beliefs required such courage? What was it like for you when you were able to follow that courageous road?
When the new pope, Leo XIV, first stood on the balcony of St Peter’s, his first words were “Peace be with you.” In his first couple of weeks as pontiff, he has spoken tirelessly of peace — a message badly needed in our world. It is, therefore, a shock to hear Jesus say in today’s Gospel: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No!”
What sense, if any, can we make of today’s strange Gospel? Firstly, it needs to be said the prophets are rare, awkward and necessary. Genuine prophets — not those who foretell but those who tell forth — are of necessity rare. Usually, such figures are also awkward, challenging conventional views and values in ways which leave us disconcerted and uncomfortable. Prophets are also necessary: people who penetrate the fog of the conventional because we are often in danger of sleepwalking through life.
The predecessor of Pope Leo, Pope Francis, was in his own way a prophet. He rattled the cage of the institutional church — a necessary rattling — by putting mercy front and first. An example is his allowing the blessing of so-called “irregular unions.” His stance on synodality was surely prophetic, heralding an entirely new way of being church, a listening church, a humble church, a church of participation, communion and mission. It is wonderful that the new bishop of Rome has committed himself to the prophetic initiatives of Pope Francis. Amen!