Today's Gospel can be a source of puzzlement. It seems to contradict so much of what the New Testament teaches elsewhere. Jesus is the Prince of Peace yet here He Himself says that He has come not to bring peace but division! Even worse, He has come to break up families. Aren't we Christians always saying that the family is the sacred unit of every society?

We must understand here that Jesus is not speaking of what He wants but of what is going to happen. Experience and history bear out only too well the truth of Jesus' words. The message of Jesus is seen by 'some people' as a serious threat. These 'some people' will go to great lengths to silence those who, with and like Jesus (and also Jeremiah in the first reading) proclaim this message. This message of Jesus is truth, justice, love and universal fellowship. Nevertheless, these people will endure imprisonment, torture or even death in living out the message of the Gospel.

Despite the threats, Jesus preached the message that all of us belong to one family. This is and will be constantly attacked by all who want to maintain the self-interest of "our" particular race, culture, language, religion, class or family. Those who favour Christ's vision can expect to be ostracised by their very own. But even the threat of the sword can never take from their hearts the peace that Christ gives.