In tomorrow's Gospel St Luke tells us that Jesus has come among us not to bring peace, but rather division.
"Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law" (Luke 12:51¡53).
These are certainly stark words - and perfect for fundamentalists and Bible-bashers who could use them most effectively to get the crowd going. Fiery words, indeed. So what does St Luke mean? What's the message in these words that will help make us better Christians? How will these words inspire us to live better lives?
There is always the temptation to interpret the Word of God to suit our own purpose and it is inevitable that we bring our own culture, prejudices and biases to our reading of God's word. Certainly God's word is objective, but like all literature it is inevitable that we will read it in context. We are all influenced by the world around us. Literature involves nuance and all nuance is closely connected to how we think and relate to each other.
Maybe tomorrow's Gospel is a clarion call, warning all of us to stay clear of being "politically correct". It might also be a reminder to people in authority that a "safe pair of hands" may not always be the criterion for appointing people to positions of authority.
The words of Jesus have an excitement and enthusiasm about them that should help make God's word something challenging, something that puts fire into our belly, but a fire that is always without hatred and violence.
God's word has nothing to do with hate. It has everything to do with love, but in order to love we have to be passionate people, people of conviction, who are going to live out our faith in good days and bad days.
Faith can never be half-hearted, it can never be lacklustre. Faith is all about breaking new territory, rising to the challenge, even making mistakes, retracing our steps and heading out on our adventure again.
It can be difficult to define exactly what the expression "politically correct" means, but it suggests that no one should be upset. The politically correct make it into an art form to mollify everyone. Giving gratuitous offence is obviously a nonsense, but on the other hand we can never allow ourselves to be stymied by what is expected to be politically correct. It might get us through the day, but in the long term it is fatuous and lacking in all meaning and purpose.
The Church needs gadflies. Any organisation with anything to say needs people who will disagree, people who will ask why and will be forever searching for real answers.
Someone with "a safe pair of hands" is an essential part of an organisation, but maybe we are often too quick to place too much trust in such people. They may do their jobs efficiently, say all the correct things and never make mistakes. But do they hinder the real message from surfacing? Is the modern Church far too fascinated with safe pairs of hands? They well have their role to play, but it would be a deadly mistake to make those hands all-important.
In tomorrow's Gospel it's clear to see that Jesus is not afraid to speak his mind, irrespective of the consequences. There is an urgency about the words, words that are certainly worth a hearing.
Do we speak the Gospel words with such urgency? Are we prepared to go that extra mile, to take that risk in order to live the Gospel and to live it in such a way that it makes sense to us? Are we challenging people with a Gospel that excites and ignites us with enthusiasm, or are we crushing people with a book of rules that have lost their meaning? The Gospel is a source of enthusiasm and life.
It's our challenge and privilege to live it to the full.
M.C.