20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday’s readings remind us of something that isn’t often talked about when it comes to pursuing the truth. Jesus tells his disciples that he has come to bring division among households and proceeds to explain how families will turn against each other. It’s a rather unsettling image, but if we dig deeper into this, we learn what Jesus is really trying to tell us.

In this time period, Jesus recognizes that the people are just following the status quo without thinking for themselves if this way of life is leading them away from God or not. In the next few verses after Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus calls people out for knowing how to read the weather and adjusting their lifestyles accordingly, but they remain ignorant and indifferent when it comes to morality and doing the right thing.

The readings leading up to this Sunday have all been reminders to tell us that when we follow Jesus, we leave behind the ways of the world. When we do so, we inevitably will encounter situations where we are singled out for what we believe in. Yet, even in these situations, Jesus tells us to keep the faith and continue walking down the road he has set us on. He reminds us of the importance of keeping the truth in our hearts and casting away anything that leads us away from it.

Jesus’ teachings are counter cultural. The lessons that we learn from him lead us to heaven while the things that the world lead us away from it. It’s important for us to remember that following the truth will never be easy and sometimes, some relationships may even be left behind. Jesus is calling us to be his messengers of truth into this world so he can bring everyone to heaven.