"A fish that is alive swims against the flow of water. One that is dead floats down with the water. A true Christian goes against the current of a sinful age. A false one is swept away by its swiftness." (St. Philaret of Moscow)

Jesus' message in his day was religiously counter cultural. Like the prophets before him, he called people back to the truth of God's revelation. It was offensive to many who were comfortable where they were in relationship to God. The message of Jesus will always be reacted to, even by those who claim to be his disciples. The question is will they follow Jesus, even though they do not understand or find his teaching hard, or will they do an accommodation or interpretation of his message to fit in society? When 40 Catholic elected officials write a public letter defending abortion as a right, is this following Jesus' teaching or is it accommodation to remain elected? In today's Gospel, Jesus warns us to beware of wolves in sheep clothing.  Following Jesus is never meant to be easy. Yet, he is the Way, the Truth and the Life.