Matthew 10
I preach Christian goals for my parishioners such as piety and virtues. But when it comes to evangelization, I feel uneasiness to preach about it. Why? Because I don’t even know what to do about my parents and relatives.
Often, I find Jesus is a realist, far from a dreamer or idealist. In today’s gospel, he tells us what will happen if we bring the Good News to our families. He came to us on earth to proclaim the Good News. And he commands us to do the same – to proclaim the kingdom of heaven to all around us. But he speaks today in a more realistic language. This evangelization is to bring a sword, not peace. If a son brings the Good News to his father, his father will resist it and reject the son. If a daughter asks her mother to go to church, her mother will refuse and turn against the daughter. If you proclaim the gospel to your in-laws, you will be ridiculed and shunned. You will realize you are besieged with refusals among your own blood and kin when you speak of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Will you choose peace over a sword? I see many Catholics settle down with peace. But Jesus says he has come to set us against our fathers, mothers, in-laws, and relatives. He asks us to pick up the sword. Not easy. So fearful. Too risky.
But Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Here, he is not asking us to leave our families behind and stay around the church. But he tells us to “take up the cross and follow” him. This cross is to bring the Good News to our families. As many of us experience daily, our families are our cross.
We will lose peace and life when we bring Christ to our family. But when our families have gone without knowing Christ, we will have to torture ourselves over their lost opportunities for eternal life due to our silence. And we will ask ourselves if we have truly loved them.
Do I love my family? Yes. Then, I need to take up the cross. Not easy. Not always pleasant. But I doubt that I would be truly happy if I would find myself alone in heaven without any of my family.
