20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C
Counter-culture behavior and its effects on relationships are nothing new to us. We remember the sixties and the “hippie” subculture. Their clothes, music, body and object painting, anti-war demonstrations, and alternative lifestyle disrupted families and polarized cities and Church alike. Almost six decades later, we might consider orange or green hair and body piercing as something of a “modern hippie” phenomenon with similar effects: suspensions from schools, arguments in families, certain designer clothes as a sign of belonging. Underneath the weird coifs and gold rings and studs in the most unimaginable places stands a resistance of this generation too many of the values of the “older” generation. Whether we think these people and their behaviors are simply “being different” or are truly disruptive makes no difference. They too can be Disciples of Christ.
There will always be people who are “different for whatever reasons. There were in the time of Jesus and there will be after most of us are long gone; and that being different can cause tensions in relationships and divisiveness. What may surprise us is that the gospel seems to be relating that Jesus came precisely to cause divisiveness. That’s hard to swallow! Is this true? Is this Jesus’ message?
Today’s gospel gives us a description of the drastic priorities of discipleship: the choice for Jesus is total. Anything less than total self-giving probably wouldn’t cause divisiveness, but then we must ask whether the disciple has been truly faithful. When the decision for discipleship drastically reorders the priorities of our lives, then divisions can occur. For instance:
What of the case where a young man chose to turn away from bad choices including drugs and alcohol, he upset his circle of friends and caused a divisiveness that could not be healed. I know of a young man from my college days in the Seminary that caused divisiveness in the family just because he went to the seminary against his parent’s wishes. Or the person who became Catholic against the wishes of her parents, which caused a divisiveness of unspeakable consequences.
These examples I just gave were examples of discipleship. All the individuals chose to follow Christ in a new and different way and that discipleship caused divisiveness in their inner circles, whether it was family or close friends. If the choice for radical discipleship is not understood or accepted, divisions can occur. Discipleship means we are ready, willing, and able to take up the mission of Jesus. That means our priorities, our preaching, our teaching leads to the same baptism Jesus underwent – death, and not necessarily physical death. Are we ready?
When does discipleship not divide? One answer is simply when the commitment to discipleship is superficial and the disciple doesn’t have the fiery passion Jesus displays in today’s gospel. About this lack of passion the disciple will be judged. Another answer is when the message of the disciple “sets the earth on fire” but is not received. Here the listeners will be judged.
I have a deep passion for my personal faith in God and how I am living that faith out in my life. I have seen, touched, heard and been blessed by the many gifts of discipleship and I want others to see it, touch it, hear it and be blessed by it as well. That is discipleship – desiring to set people’s hearts on fire, not apologizing for standing up for what you believe in and challenging others to believe in it as well! If we say we are members of the Catholic Church, be it this one or another, then for God’s sake, stand up and be a real disciple – don’t just dabble in it! Realistically, most of us don’t live our discipleship this dramatically – as Priests or Religious, nor are we faced with such consequential choices as the examples I gave earlier. We are hardly called, like Jeremiah, to announce to the Israelites that their beloved Jerusalem will fall into the hands of the Babylonians – nor are we thrown into a cistern to die! The judgment won’t come over whether or not we are treated harshly. The judgment comes over whether we are faithful to our “yes” to discipleship in the small, everyday things as well as the times when the more serious things come along. Is living God’s will and working to build up the kingdom an absolute priority in our lives? Can we say YES? I hope so!
Jer 38:4-6, 8-10
Heb 12:1-4
Lk 12:49-53