Today, -from Jesus' very
lips- we can hear the frightening avowal: «I have come to bring fire upon the
earth» (Lk 12:49); «Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell
you» (Lk 12:51). Being faithful to God entails division. For truth is opposed to
lies and deception; the spirit of charity is the opposite of a selfish spirit;
justice is the opposite of injustice...
In the world -and inside us- there is a mixture of good
and bad; and we must take sides, must take an option, while being conscious
that faithfulness is "uncomfortable". It seems far easier to compromise, but it
is certainly far less evangelical.
We would like to have "the Gospels" and "a Jesus" tailored
to measure and going by our individual taste and passions. But we must convince
ourselves that Christian life is not just a simple "routine", a matter of "just
keep going", without a constant desire for improvement and perfection. Benedict
XVI maintains that «Jesus Christ is not just a private conviction or an
abstract idea, but a real person, whose becoming part of human history is
capable of renewing the life of every man and woman».
The supreme model is Jesus (we must "stare at Him fixedly",
especially when in trouble or if persecuted). He voluntarily accepted the
ordeal of the Cross in order to restore our freedom and recuperate our
happiness: «In his crucified flesh, God's freedom and our human freedom met
definitively in an inviolable, eternally valid pact» (Benedict XVI). If we get
our mind stay put on Jesus we shall never lose heart. His sacrifice represents
the contrary to the spiritual lack of enthusiasm, which so often engulfs us.
Loyalty requires courage and ascetical fight. Sin and evil
are constantly tempting us, and this is why a courageous fight and effort along
with our participation in the Passion of Jesus Christ are a peremptory
requirement. Hating sin is not easy. The kingdom of Heaven demands efforts, fight and
violence upon us, and the violent take it by force (cf. Mt 11:12).
