First reading Romans 6:19-23
Now you are set free from sin, and slaves to God
If I may use human terms to help your natural weakness: as once you put your bodies at the service of vice and immorality, so now you must put them at the service of righteousness for your sanctification.
When you were slaves of sin, you felt no obligation to righteousness, and what did you get from this? Nothing but experiences that now make you blush, since that sort of behaviour ends in death. Now, however, you have been set free from sin, you have been made slaves of God, and you get a reward leading to your sanctification and ending in eternal life. For the wage paid by sin is death; the present given by God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm 1:1-4,6
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Gospel Luke 12:49-53
How I wish it were blazing already!
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over!
‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’
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Blazing with the fire of Christ
In the gospel, Jesus states, “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” This raises a question about what Jesus meant by this statement. Isn’t He the Prince of Peace who offers us His peace? Yes, He does come to bring peace, but not the kind that merely signifies agreement or silences dissent. The peace Jesus offers is distinct from worldly peace.
Following Jesus on His path of love and truth often leads to divisions because not everyone will welcome what we say or do. Consider Jesus on the cross: His mission was not peaceful in the sense that His radical lifestyle and His efforts to establish God’s kingdom of justice and love resulted in rejection and ultimately crucifixion. Today, let us ask Jesus to burn our hearts with love for God, so we can spread His love throughout the world, even when faced with opposition from others.
Reflective question:
In what way can I show faithfulness to Him, even if it leads to opposition with others?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
