Dying leads to rising to true life

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In the first reading today, Isaiah makes a very strong attack on the practice of sacrificing animals to win God's favour. He uses such words as ''I am sick of holocausts,'' ''The blood of bulls revolts me.'' Yet despite the force of Isaiah's words, the high priests did not listen and were still offering such sacrifices at the time of Jesus.The words of Jesus in the gospel may surprise even shock us at first when he says that he has not come to bring peace but a sword. How can we reconcile those words with the first greeting to the apostles after the Resurrection when he said, ''Peace be with you.'' Of course Jesus did come to bring peace but even in the same family there can be differences of opinion and divisions when some members accept and follow Jesus faithfully whereas others do not.

 

How many parents suffer when their children do not share their faith? Grandparents are upset when their grandchildren are not baptized. Jesus himself was rejected and crucified and he says that we too must take up our cross to follow him. He does not mean that we seek out suffering but that following Jesus often means that we have to put aside our own desires and not let ourselves be influenced by those who ideas and practices are different. St Paul calls it dying to sin. ''So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.'' (Romans 6:11) As with Jesus, dying leads to rising to true life.