Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

The above are the words of Jesus. What a contradiction from the image of Jesus as the Prince of Peace. The very Lord who claims to be the restorer of all good things into perfect order here speaks of himself as being the source of division even in the most basic unit of society - biological families.

Surely, he does long for peace in the world; just not at the expense of truth. Surely, he desires for the restoration of order in the world; just not at the expense of his Kingship, and for some, his call in their lives to place him in a position of utmost importance such that they have to leave their families to obey his call.

Jesus is merely confronting us with the reality that obeying him creates disharmony even in the family. The intention to truly obey God's calling in totality can (and most often will) lead to misunderstanding, non-acceptance, and ultimately hostility.

This experience wasn't alien to the saints of the past. A young man had a bitter argument with his father and left his family naked. The local bishop had to bring him clothes. The young man was St Francis of Assisi.

And to think we expect things to turn out differently in our generation. How we always manage to fool ourselves. Excuses, excuses.