Does Jesus say that we should love our family less? Ian Peoples, SJ, reflects on a challenging statement from Jesus and what it means for Jesus to be the center of our lives. Based on the readings for Sunday, June 28.
When all our love is in and through Christ, then our love is amplified beyond our own capabilities.
Hi, I’m Ian Peoples, and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
Jesus uses strong words in the gospel today, “whoever loves father, mother, son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” But the important thing to remember is that Jesus is not asking us to love our family less; that love simply has to be oriented in and through Christ.
A Jesuit mentor of mine gave me an image I find helpful.
He described our relationships like the wheel of a bicycle.
All the spokes of the wheel pass through the hub. If any of the spokes do not pass through that center, it compromises the strength of the entire wheel.
It’s the same with our relationships. All of our relationships should pass through Christ, our hub, the center of our lives. If a relationship is not oriented through Christ, it simply compromises the strength of our love.
Christ needs to be the center of our life. Because when he is that hub, we are able to love people even more.