Reflection Paper

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Countless are the number of friends and servant leaders that have disclosed to me their spiritual discouragement after a major conversion event. They have divulged stories about experiencing more adversities and tribulations after attending a powerful spiritual retreat or decisively following the Lord than before returning to God. These narratives are often saturated with situations where they were being accused, rejected, or ridiculed by their own family members on account of their new life in Christ. Stories like these do not astonish me given that the Word of God evidently warns us, saying, “My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.” (Sirach 2:!) The Gospel according to Luke recounts certain sayings of Jesus …show more content…

Plenty who began attending Church regularly after a powerful conversion experience have abandoned the Faith when those close to them continuously demonstrated their disapproval. Hence, Jesus prophetically alerted the crowds and future disciples, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Let us not misinterpret these words: Jesus is not implying that we should detest or feel extreme hostility toward our family members. Rather, if a person aspires to be a disciple of Christ, he must love Him above all else and ought to love less (“hate”) everyone else, including his own family: Christ should be his principal love. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Mt …show more content…

I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace to earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53) Jesus’ life, message, and mission certainly caused division; He was accepted by some and rejected by others. Today, He continues to establish divisions for the same reasons. When we truly embrace Christ, our desire is that God’s will be done and that we personally and collectively please God. However, those who surround us may strive to live and behave according to their own pleasures and not God’s. This potentially leads to severe

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