Friday of the
Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
(Ephesians 4:1-6; Luke 12:54-59)
Old enmities die hard.
Two people who have long had differences that led to bitter words have difficulty
burying their resentment. In today’s
gospel Jesus warns the crowds that they must overcome difficulty of this kind
in order to be reconciled.
Jesus notes how practical people are. They can tell that it is going to rain in
plenty of time to take the wash from the line.
Unfortunately they limit their good sense to physical matters. They do not recognize that the moment of
salvation has come with Jesus. Now is
the time to show mercy so that they might receive the boundless graces of his
death and resurrection.
We have the same crisis today. Jesus is exhorting us to act because there is
no time to wait. We must seek
reconciliation with those from whom we have been alienated. Doing so, we will experience the peace of God’s
kingdom.
