Division, Condition, Reward

Jesus: A Cause of Division

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. 35 For I have come to set
a man ‘against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’
37 “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; 38 and whoever does not take up his cross[a] and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39 [b]Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 “Whoever receives you receives me,[c] and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 [d]Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
1 When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples,[e] he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.-Matthew10:34-11:1

Jesus is not saying we should wage war against our loved ones because it will be contrary to the Law (Honor your father and mother) and He comes to fulfill the Law. Rather, at a certain point in our life, we should learn that the ultimate goal is always God, that the ultimate Love is God. Sometimes our family is against us if we make or do things for God i.e. serving the Church. We face tough opposition from our family should we decide to make a sacrifice for God i.e. entering the priesthood or religious life. Today, Jesus is reminding us of the conditions to be His disciple. It is always about God first and foremost.

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Hundred times more

You will receive a hundred times more.

28 Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first.”-Mark10:28-31

Peter was bold enough to say, “We have given up everything and followed you.” In other words, the disciples of Jesus left everything to follow Him, so what's in it for them? Will there be a reward? For me, one should not ask for a compensation or a reward just because a person sacrificed much for Jesus. The call of Jesus alone is already a privilege, a high recognition, a rare gem these days. In the Gospel, Jesus comforts His disciples and future disciples that their response to the call will never go unnoticed. One shouldn't worry about mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, lands, etc. left behind because Jesus generously gives many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, lands, and so much more to all who answer His call.

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Pay Attention

... with the measure you use, it will be measured to you...

21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”-Mark4:21-25

Each person has a purpose and it will always be made known. Even if s/he hides it or makes it a secret, it will always be made known. Several times did Jesus prevent people (and even evil spirits) from saying who He really was, yet it cannot remain a secret. We all have flaws, shortcomings and moments of sinfulness. But it is not who we really are and it is not the purpose of our creation. We are created for one purpose and that is to LOVE - to love God and our neighbor. From love comes fear of the Lord, forgiveness, humility, gratitude, mercy, compassion and so much more.

"The measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you." The love that we give will return back to us, much more even. The evil that we do to others will return back to us, much more even. That's why it is better to live our lives according to the light and guidance of God.

Image courtesy: D.Lambert