Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Isaiah 1:10-17; Matthew 10:34-11:1)
A man tells the story of his daughter. When she was a teenager, she became pregnant outside marriage. She wanted to have her baby, but her mother encouraged her to have an abortion. For the mother, the girl was not only too young to be a mother but also needed to finish her education. The girl desperately turned to her father who was divorced from his wife. The man believed in his daughter and promised to help her keep her baby. Relieved, the girl said that she had bought a bus ticket to another town in case no one would support her at home. Whether she knows it or not, this girl is following Jesus’ instructions to his apostles in today’s gospel.
It is not that Jesus has abortion in mind as he lectures his apostles. Rather, he knows that his righteousness will always unleash opposition. His insistence that divorce opposes the Creator’s intention will cause a furor among those who favor a more lenient standard. His reaching out to the grubby poor will scandalize those with a high sense of propriety. In these ways Jesus forces people to choose. Will they stand with him or conform to the prejudices of their families?
We may not have to choose between family and Jesus. Our choice may be between Jesus and the urgings of our corrupted hearts. Will we follow our impulses to illicit sex, or will we resist sinful sexual desires? Will we continue to impose our will upon others, or will we work out a mutually acceptable agreement? Will we continue to seek others’ approval, or will we daily acknowledge our sinfulness and ask the Lord’s mercy? Facing issues like these, we realize that Jesus does not bring the peace of mind that we desire but a deeper peace that we cannot even imagine.
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