Reflection for Thursday, October 21
Daily Readings: Romans 6:19-23 & Luke 12: 49 – 53
29th Week in Ordinary Time
In today's Gospel, we come across a rare phenomenon wherein Jesus acclaims that He has come to create division in the households. These words should echo to us the prophecy of Simeon, who after receiving Baby Jesus in his hands prophesied: "…behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed (Luke 2: 34 – 35)." It was a prophesy alluding to the crucifixion of Jesus and the eventual division in the families.
But then, what did Jesus mean by His words on division? We should not take the words in the literal sense. Jesus here meant to speak about the Holy Spirit who will descend upon the Apostles and on all persons of goodwill in tongues of fire, who will speak in strange tongues, who will be empowered to speak about Jesus to men and women of all walks of life without fear or hesitation but with courage, conviction and commitment.
Thus, in spreading the name of Jesus and His teachings, there will be divisions in the families – for some will accept Jesus as their master in a household, but a few others will not adhere to the teachings of Jesus. This will then create division in the family where the father will be against his son and vice-versa because of their faith and trust in the name and teachings of Jesus.
The words of Jesus did have repercussions in the early Christian Churches, which were due to the new religion called Christianity, which bore the brunt of many rulers of the Roman Empire in terms of persecution and hatred. Hundreds and thousands stood by the name of Jesus as a pillar of courage and determination despite their being the cause of division in their respective families, for they found true peace in the name of Jesus and in believing in His teachings.
Let us make efforts to live by the values and teachings of Jesus and thereby become a source of joy and peace to all.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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