Jesus occasionally has to remind us that the things we find most stabilizing in this world will have to be broken down, and only reassembled insofar as they point to God. The Temple of his time, so huge and sturdy, would be destroyed within 40 years, as he promised...unthinkable for believers of his time.
Jesus goes on to promise that families will experience tumult. Many children will leave the right path, even confronting fellow siblings or parents in the spirit of the age. For them. the unholy spirit of "offense" will proceed that of "rebellion." The foundation stones of family stability will indeed be uprooted. In this time of crisis Christ will be our only rock; indeed our families will find their solidity only insofar as they are ever-anew built on Christ.
On the personal level, humility will be necessary to accept my own being broken down. Everything in my life must be rebuilt on Christ. Even those natural gifts which have brought me so far till now will have to be reordered only to the building up of the Body of Christ. Am I ready to surrender these to such a purpose?
Jesus is tough sometimes, and he's not afraid to allow the edifices of our family and individual persons to be razed so as to build them back up on more solid foundations. One day we will be incredibly grateful In the meantime it is both scary and painful.
-Fr. Anthony Wieck, SJ
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