Luke 12:51
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
What is Jesus talking about in Luke's Gospel? Isn't he the Prince of Peace, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God? Why is he talking about dividing the earth and setting things on fire? This doesn't make any sense! But let's slow down and think about what happens when we accept Jesus in our lives and actually start to follow him. Does it make everything rosy and comfortable, or does tension emerge among our relationships? We even feel a tension in our own hearts as we realize that we have to let go of old habits, friends, and attitudes that are not lined up with God and his will for us.
In the Chronicles of Narnia, there is a scene where the children ask if Aslan the lion is a "safe lion". The answer of course is that Aslan is not safe at all – but he is good. Jesus is not safe in the way that we think of safety. He wants to shake us and wake us up out of our sleep so that we can see who he is and what he has done for us. If we are going to follow Jesus, we have to follow him with our whole hearts. Then we can see how good he really is.
Get to know our seminarians! Today's reflection was written by:
Zachary Brasseur, Pastoral Year
Home Parish: St. Paul's, St. Petersburg
Did you know...
Zachary is a native of St. Petersburg where he grew up with his parents and three sisters. In his free time he likes to play golf, listen to folk music, and watch the Tampa Bay Rays. Zachary is assigned to St. Timothy parish in Lutz on pastoral year.
Pray with us for the men and women discerning the priesthood and religious life. To pray for our seminarians by name or to find out more about the Diocese of St. Petersburg vocations office, click here.
