Deacon Tom Anthony

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 120

Reading 1 Jer 38:4-6, 8-10

In those days, the princes said to the king:
"Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin."
King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power";
for the king could do nothing with them.
And so they took Jeremiah
and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah,
which was in the quarters of the guard,
letting him down with ropes.
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Ebed-melech, a court official,
went there from the palace and said to him:
"My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city."
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18

R. (14b)  Lord, come to my aid!
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
 out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
 he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
And he put a new song into my mouth,
 a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
 and trust in the LORD.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Though I am afflicted and poor,
 yet the LORD thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
 O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!

Reading 2 Heb 12:1-4

Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

Alleluia Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

My Brothers and Sisters,

 We as Christians should expect to face all sorts of suffering because suffering is a part of being a Christian. Jesus Christ suffered and died so that we may receive forgiveness for our sins and salvation. Accepting Jesus Christ as our savior separates us from the world and introduces us into a new way of living that minimizes the materialistic allures of the physical world and emphasizes the spirituality. The flesh is rejected in favor of the spiritual because it is through a spiritual relationship with God that we are guided towards perfection. The world is not perfect. It never will be because of the influences of Satan and a society that has been created under the influence of Satan. Where Satan is there will always be evil. Within society evil dwells and has crept into the thoughts and actions of men which in turn make them forget God and makes them want to be gods themselves. Being Christians means that we are working towards rejecting what society has to offer and what it teaches in favor of that which is offered to us by Jesus Christ. We are also working on our relationship with God and contemplating how that influences our actions and behaviors. What we are doing goes directly against what society wants us to do and what society wants us to concentrate on. As a result there will be those in society who will want to cause us harm and pain much the same way they did to Jesus before us. This suffering brings us closer to Him and further away from a defective state of being that would have us concentrate on the allures of the flesh and unhealthy desires.

Jesus Christ wants the best for us and calls us into a relationship with Him. This relationship needs to take on a serious amount of importance if it is to have any impact on our lives. It is through Jesus that we get close to the Father and experience the presence of the Holy Spirit. When we react to the call of Jesus Christ we are walking away from our previous way of life and into a new experience directed by Jesus and given to us by the Father. We will understand things differently than before and, at times, will feel that we do not fit in this world because we truly don’t if we embrace that which is beyond the world. He wants to live with us and experience life with us. He wants us to experience true joy and receive all of the benefits that a friendship with Him entails. At the same time, there will be suffering, challenges, and disappointment but just like Jesus triumphed over death we too will triumph over these. The reason is simple: any problems or situation that we may encounter are of this earth and have their roots in the physical world while Jesus is eternal. As sons of God we too are eternal. Eternal always overcomes that which is limited. The spiritual always triumphs over the physical. Accepting Jesus means that we have chosen the spiritual and eternal over that which is even now is slowly wasting away.

The trials and tribulations that we have are our crosses to bear. As Christians we become imitators of Christ when we confront these by picking up our crosses and journeying to Calvary with He who is all powerful and eternal. We feel His pain and torment while He feels ours. It becomes a shared experience with the knowledge that all that is before us will no defeat us. Christ conquered death itself. What we may face can never compare. Also, that which faces us can never compare to our greatest advocate: Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel Reading today Jesus reminded His followers that His presence will cause division, strife, and conflict throughout the world. This is inevitable because there will be those who reject Him and choose to embrace the evils of the world instead. Because the root of all evil is truly Satan then it means that those who are against Jesus are automatically aligned with Satan. This brings about conflict since evil is in a constant state of rebellion with Good.  Those who are rebelling against good are also rebelling against us because Jesus Christ dwells within us. When we are right with God the Light of Christ shines through us. There will be those who are attracted to the light while there will be those who will revile it and will revile us because of it. The Apostle Paul tells us today that we should treat our journey of faith and journey away from sin like a race with a focus on victory. Anything that we can do to better perform in this race must be done so that we may be prepared for anything that tries to impede our progress. Through the race there will be difficult times but none of it will ever compare to the sacrifices that Jesus made for us. This should be foremost in our thoughts when things become difficult: things became difficult for Jesus but He persevered and we are encouraged to do the same.

The prophet Jeremiah was scourged and thrown into a pit to die because of the words he professed. Throughout the torture he endured he never wavered in his office but became stronger. When he was at the point of despair he called on God for strength and continued his mission even under the threat of execution. God was there to protect him throughout his ordeal. We are no less than Jeremiah and should expect no less from God. In the Scripture Reading today it was told so beautifully how when Jeremiah faced an impending death at the hands of the princes of Judah that one man’s heart was moved and he then realized what was happening was wrong.  Ebed-melech the Cushite then gained the fortitude to speak out against the king and tell him what was happening was wrong. This then moved the king to action. We should not sell God short. Through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit He will move us and others into right action. Evil will never triumph over good for God is the ultimate good.

When we expect conflict we are better prepared for it. When we are preparing for the challenges that lay ahead for us in our lives with God in our hearts He becomes our greatest asset. When we call upon Him He will answer all of the time. We will be strengthened, comforted, and loved if we only let Him do it. There should be no resistance to God but only acceptance to what He has to offer. Taking what He has to offer will put us on the right side of everything. That side is the side of victory and love.

Deacon Tom