Luke 12:49 - 53
Saint Thomas More had an exciting career. He was the son of a lawyer and studied law himself. He became proficient in Latin and Greek and could read other languages. His first literary work was the translation of an Italian poem. Early in life he began ascetic practices like wearing a hare shirt. He may have been a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis.
More considered becoming a monk, but ultimately married and with his first wife had four children. He was a member of parliament, an accomplished musician, and a popular author.. He angered King Henry VII by advocating that parliament not grant the king the exorbitant sum he was asking for to provide a dowry for his daughter. After that More retired from public life, only to embrace several missions for the new king, Henry VIII. He finally became Lord Chancellor. From that position, he wrote many books and pamphlets defending Roman Catholicism from Protestantism, which was rampant in England. In 1530 he broke with the king by refusing to sign a letter to the pope asking that Henry’s marriage be annulled. He refused to take an oath supporting the king as head of the Church in England, and that eventually led to his condemnation and execution. He wrote a letter to his daughter the day before his death, showing her and us that he was totally at peace with his decision. He had the peace that Jesus gives, the peace not of this world, the peace that surpasses all understanding.
But having that peace did not prevent the divisions that occurred as a result. And I think that’s an important lesson from the gospel of today. Jesus elsewhere promises peace to those who accept him as Lord and Savior, but predicts that this will bring division, even in the midst of one’s family. Jesus’ teaching will automatically cause strife, because those who accept them will draw apart from those who do not. We see that all around us. Jesus does not desire conflict, but recognizes that people will respond differently to his message, and that will cause conflict.
When Jesus says he comes to set the earth on fire, he’s talking about transformation -- the sometimes painful process of following him. Perhaps I should say “always painful”, because when you read the lives of the saints, the choice to follow Jesus always seems to bring about some pain. It’s ironic that Jesus through his suffering and death gave us the power to transform the world into the Kingdom of Heaven, but history tells us that there will always be opposition to this until the end of the world. And I guess one question we need to ask ourselves is whether we have experienced pain because of our following Jesus. Have we ever had to sacrifice a friendship, have we ever had to see a close relative break off a relationship with us, because of our commitment to Jesus?
Following Jesus comes at a cost. The Protestant theologian, Dietrich Boenhoffer, talked about the Cost of Discipleship and pointed out that many Christians seek cheap grace -- they expect forgiveness without repentance. They expect to receive grace from participation in the sacraments without accountability, and they see no need for spiritual growth and personal transformation in order to gain salvation. Bonhoeffer said that cheap grace was “sold on the marketplace” whereas genuine grace required a wholehearted commitment to transformation; transformation which would cost something -- maybe even our lives, as it did with Thomas More and indeed with Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis.
We have three kinds of Christians - those who are satisfied with cheap grace and go through the motions, expecting that keeping the rules will win salvation. I hope they are right, because that describes a lot of my friends and relatives - and maybe me. The second are those who recognize that grace is not cheap, but look outward on those who don’t follow their conception of grace. These people can point out all the things wrong with your approach to the faith -- sometimes to the point of having nothing to do with those who don’t follow their notion of what is right. And finally there are a few people who recognize that grace is costly, requiring inner transformation and sometimes great sacrifice in order to be true followers of Jesus -- like Thomas More.
In the first reading, we heard what happened to Jeremiah when he prophesied as God wanted him to. In the second reading the author urges us not to grow weary and lose heart, but to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. And the gospel promises that a sign of costly grace is that it will be opposed. Today we ask, is my faith able to withstand the opposition of friends and family members? If I were accused of being a Christian, what proof would there be?
