First Reading: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
Reflection:
The Prophet Jeremiah lived during a tumultuous time in Jewish history. The southern kingdom of Judah was just about to be overtaken by the Babylonians, which would result in the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple and exile in Babylon for many of the people for about 70 years. Jeremiah prophesied about this coming doom and called on the people to repent of their sins and turn to God. Like many of the other prophets, his message fell on deaf ears. The people were hard-hearted. They long before had abandoned faithfulness to God and were worshipping many pagan gods. In fact, it was their rebellion against God that was the cause of the coming judgment inflicted upon them at the hands of the Babylonians. We see in this Sunday’s first reading one of the responses Jeremiah received to his message. The princes of the kingdom thought Jeremiah was a nuisance. He was “demoralizing the soldiers” with his message that defeat by the Babylonians and exile was inevitable. They further accused him of seeking the “ruin” of the people rather than their “welfare.” And they sought to have him killed as a result. Although his life was spared, Jeremiah suffered for doing what was right. He spoke the truth, even though it was not popular.
Second Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4
Reflection:
Last week we heard from Hebrews chapter 11 in the second reading. That chapter is all about the great heroes of faith in the Old Testament, like Abraham, Moses, David, etc. This Sunday’s second reading picks up immediately after that chapter and proclaims that “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” The great heroes of faith in the Old Testament are witnesses to us of how to persevere in the race of faith. In fact, the entire communion of saints makes up this “great cloud of witnesses,” who are cheering us on in our journey of faith. The author of Hebrews uses the illustration of a race to explain what the Christian life is like. Let’s flesh out this illustration by thinking about a marathon race. The Christian life begins with baptism, so that is like the starting line. Once in the race, we must persevere to the finish line, which is heaven. Any marathon runner will tell you that it is as much a mental game as it is physical. To finish a marathon, one must keep their mind focused on the goal of finishing. In the Christian life, we must “keep our eyes fixed on Jesus” in order to persevere. There are many distractions to take us off path along the way, but if we keep zeroed in on Jesus, then we can finish the race and win the prize of heaven. If we lose sight of Jesus, then we easily wander off course. Jesus wants to lead us to heaven and perfect our faith. He is not only the finish line, but is with us every step along the way. Furthermore, we have the entire communion of saints to cheer us on. They have already finished the race and are lining the course, so to speak, telling us that we can do it, giving us the example of how to persevere, and praying for us along the way. We also have our brothers and sisters in Christ here on earth who are running the race with us and can provide support and encouragement along the way. With God’s grace and the support of the communion of saints in heaven and our brothers and sisters in Christ here on earth, we can endure and finish the race, no matter what obstacles come along the way. When the race of faith gets difficult, just remember that you are not alone so that you do not “grow weary and lose heart.”
Gospel Reading: Luke 12:49-53
Reflection:
The same basic message communicated in the first two readings is evidenced in this Sunday’s gospel reading. The words of Jesus here probably sound shocking at first read. Let’s unpack them step by step. First, fire is an image in the Bible of God’s presence and love along with judgment and purification from sin. When Jesus said he has “come to set the earth on fire,” he means he has come to spread God’s love and purge the world of sin. Jesus desires for all people to be consumed with the love of God. In other words, he wants us to be on fire for him! Jesus made this possible through his death on the cross, which is the “baptism” that he is anguished about. The word baptism, in the original Greek, simply means to be immersed. While it has come to specifically refer to the sacrament, here it refers to Jesus’ passion at which he will be “immersed” in the sins of the world for the sake of our salvation. Jesus was ridiculed, betrayed, and painfully executed so we could have peace with God. Yet, Jesus says here that he did not “Come to establish peace on earth…but rather division.” Jesus is the Prince of Peace and, as is clear in other parts of the gospels, he offers us peace, but that peace is not of this world. He did not come to make everyone get along. Rather, the peace that he offers transcends this world. It is a peace that is interior and that we can have even in the midst of division and war. In fact, the peace that is found in following Jesus often leads to earthly divisions because not all people are yet ablaze with the love of God. Not all people are following Christ. To use the illustration of the second reading, not all people are in the race of faith and running toward Jesus. Rather, many people have turned their backs on God. Many people are like the princes in the first reading and are opposing what is right and true. Thus, as Christians, we can expect division as a result of following Jesus. We can expect resistance, opposition, and persecution because we are today’s prophets who, like Jeremiah, are proclaiming the truth of God to a hard-hearted world. At times, this may even result in division within our own families, as Jesus talks about in the gospel. Still, in the midst of persecution, we are called to have trust in God like the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 so we do not “grow weary and lose heart.”
Application:
Like Jeremiah, we too are called to do what is right and speak the truth, even if we face resistance, division, and persecution as a result. Have you ever been tempted to avoid speaking the truth or doing what is right because of fear of push back? What did you do? Are you prepared to resist that temptation and do what God calls you to do, even if you face persecution as a result (e.g. being made fun of, losing a job, not getting promoted, losing friends, having division within your family, etc.)?
