“For I have come to set
a man against his father.”

Matthew 10:35

Matthew 10:34-11:1

Reflection

Jesus tells his Apostles he has come to bring the sword, not peace. He has come to set family member against family member. Whoever loves another more than Jesus is not worthy of him.

These seem like very harsh words coming from Christ. Yet as hard as they might be to hear, they are ones we must live by. If we love something or someone else more than God, we are placing that person or object at the center of our lives and making it our idol. We must only worship God – him alone and no other. It can be easy to put certain family members on a pedestal, perhaps a mother or father, but when they become more important than God, we need to rethink our priority.

Following Christ necessarily means some sort of division in our lives. The world is set against him, and so being Christian means putting ourselves at odds with somebody, and unfortunately that can occasionally be family. Yet even if you experience this particular sorrow, know that you have actually found your life in God himself.

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Saint of the Day

St. Henry: 972 – 1024

“Christ is the beginning and end of all government.” St. Henry