Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Luke 12: 49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is one of the more difficult Gospel passages because of what Jesus promises: division. And not the kind of division we’d hope for, such as the separation between evildoers and the righteous, but division at home.

In families; in marriages; in the relationships we often value most.

Yet there is nothing we can experience which Jesus has not already felt. Multiple times in the Gospels, we see this tension between his human and divine family unfolding.

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Consider what happened when Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple after searching frantically for him for three days. An exasperated Mary asked him, “Son, why have you done this to us?”

To which Jesus responded, “Did you not know I must be about my Father’s business?”

Or when he was an adult, and an onlooker notified him that his family was outside waiting to speak with him. He turned and asked them, “Who is my mother? Who are my sisters and brothers? Those who hear the Word of God and observe it.”

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At every turn, Jesus chose his divine family over his human family – as we are also invited to do. This decision can not only create division, but also fear. 

Fear because Christ’s disciples are willing to leave their home – and all dwelling within it – if he calls us.

Fear because his Word runs deeper, and guides our steps more intimately, than even the best family advice.

Fear because there are parts of ourselves that we may share with Him but not with others we love.

Fear because our worldview is not framed by popular opinion, secular culture, or subjectivism, but by unchanging Truth.

Fear because we dedicate our lives to someone whom others, even our own family members, may not believe in or understand.

Fear because the Gospel is not a butter knife but a sword. It can set us free, but it can also divide, “three against two and two against three.” Children against their parents, and spouses against their in-laws. 

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It’s a divisive truth because our human family always comes second to Christ.

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Image credits: (1) Christianity Today (2) X (3) YouTube, Above Inspiration

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Gospel: John 21: 15-17

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and
eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint John Paul II. Many of us remember where we were when we heard the news that he had died, entering eternal life on April 2, 2005. 

It was my brother’s 21^st birthday.

I was a sophomore at Seton Hall University, just a few months away from becoming Catholic. I remember being inspired by his life and example, especially his mantra: “Do not be afraid.”

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The Lord commands us more than 300 times in the bible to not be afraid. It’s a call John Paul was reminded of throughout his life.

When he experienced the death of his mother at 9 years old, and then his father, and then his brother; when he was left alone without his deepest familial roots, the Lord said to him, “Do not be afraid.”

When the Nazi’s invaded his homeland, closed his university, and forced him to work in a factory, he remembered those words, “Do not be afraid.”

When war broke out and he risked his life entering a clandestine seminary to study for the priesthood, he remembered, “Do not be afraid.”

When he became a professor teaching at the only Catholic university behind the Iron Curtain in Lublin; when he was called to become a bishop for the persecuted flock in Poland; when he was elected pope in 1978, called to feed God’s sheep…

“Do not be afraid.”

And when he breathed his last on April 2, 2005, he must’ve felt those words ring in the deepest chambers of his soul, words which guided him since his youth:

“Do not be afraid.”

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John Paul’s journey is, in a sense, our journey. At certain times in life, we all need to remember these words of the Lord.

May John Paul intercede for us, that God would give us the strength to follow him, free from any fear of the present or the future.

Pope Saint John Paul II, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Redbubble (2) Catholic News Agency (3) X

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Gospel: Luke 12: 35-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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At the time of Christ, the night was divided into three different parts – the first, second, and third watch.

Once the sun fell, soldiers would literally pace back and forth along the perch of the city walls looking for thieves or invading armies.

The third watch was always the hardest post, because it lasted from roughly 2 – 6 am, the darkest part of the night.

Anyone who’s ever had to stay awake that long knows how hard it is. As the night drags on, you must become more and more focused; otherwise, you’ll succumb to sleep.

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This is the type of vigilance the Lord asks of us spiritually in today’s Gospel. Live as if Jesus is coming by the end of the night. 

Statistically speaking, that’s highly unlikely. It’s already been almost 750,000 days since he first spoke of his return!

Still, he wants us to, “Be alert! Stay awake!” Act as if his judgment is on the way.

So, how should we prepare for the Lord’s return? 

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Personally, I’d want to resolve any conflict; forgive wrongdoings; offer an apology wherever needed; and go to confession. 

I’d tell my family and friends that I love them; thank those who’ve been good to me; hug a friend; and say a prayer.

“Blessed are those servants,” Jesus says, who do these things.

Even if the Lord is delayed in his return, seeking reconciliation, extending forgiveness, praying, and being grateful for those whom we love, is the healthiest way to live.

Whether it’s tonight, or seemingly forever away, come Lord Jesus.

We will be ready.

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Image credits: (1) YouTube, How To Pronounce (2) Pinterest (3) Three Great Things