In the gospel reading today Jesus tells the people, “I have not come to bring peace but a sword.” Then He goes on to say, “For I have come to set a father against his son, and a daughter against her mother…” Jesus uses explicit language to describe the age to come. That is, the age of Apostles. He is, therefore, prophesying about the time after His death, burial, resurrection, where those who declare to follow Him will be rejected by their own family, and in some cases, handed over to the authorities for death. 

It is a natural tendency to think we are less of a sinner than others, particularly if we are comparing ourselves to murders, the sexually deviant, or other sins we consider “extreme” and on a category of their own. However, much we indulge in this type of thinking to sooth our conscious, we are challenged by the words of Christ.

The “teacher” has been the person of high esteem and honor in most societies throughout history. This word has been attributed to those who teach all age groups in various subjects and disciplines. Similarly, the word “father” is used to describe the progeny of Adam’s race. It denotes the person within the family unit that is the male. The father has the responsibility (like the mother) to raise his children in a nurturing environment with love and discipline. The word father can be extended to the “grand”-father and other men that function within that modality. Such is the case with priest in the Orthodox (and Catholic) tradition. 

In our American culture, we are acculturated to want the best, to be the best, and to have the most. This type of thinking does not reflect the teachings of the Church or the Bible. On the contrary, God wants us to be faithful with what He has given us; and the circumstances that he has placed us in. Here, we must clearly define what it means to be “faithful.”