No peace without truth

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, 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 daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53)

Jesus does not love division and conflict, but above all else he wants the Truth to be proclaimed throughout the world. God wants our heart and our love, but freely so. He even wants us to be free to reject Him, He Who created and gave us an abundantly good life. That is why, momentarily and mercifully, God seems not to react against the behaviour of ungodly persons. Jesus’s faithful disciples are called to keep proclaiming the whole Truth, which is Christ Himself, even at the cost of creating conflict. To think that it is good to focus on at what unites rather than what divides us might be a good strategy for deciding where to spend a weekend together, but certainly not so in terms of the critical issues of faith or morals. Let us not be afraid of the unpopularity that may result from proclaiming the Truth of our faith.