Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 120
Reading 1
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
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
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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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,
Jesus Himself said that a house divided could not stand. Conflict naturally brings about chaos and an upheaval of established norms, be they good or bad. The revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God is no exception to this rule. This is what is meant about Him setting the world on fire. There never has been a full acceptance of Jesus by all of His creation. In fact, the opposite is true. Lack of acceptance fulfills the prophecy He spoke of in the Gospel Reading today. The mere mention of Jesus Christ brings about discord, disagreement, and conflict. Yes, there is also peace and love, offering a glimpse of a New Heaven and Earth through the presence of Christ, but that is only to completely come when all of His enemies are under His foot and Creation is handed over to the Father. In the meantime, the world stands against that which Jesus represents and, as a result, there is a natural conflict. This conflict has its roots in the incompatibility of good and evil. All good comes from God. All that is evil stands against God. If you stand against God or resist Him, then you are standing against all that is good and resisting all that has its roots in that good, thus you stand with evil as a result. It remains the only thing left.
In the first Reading today, King Zedekiah knew Jeremiah was a prophet and spoke for God. Yet, because Jeremiah spoke against many of the actions of the Royal Court of Judea and what was happening at the time, he made many enemies. These enemies were very powerful and used their influence to make the king imprison Jeremiah. He was basically pressured against his will to do so for fear of his own life and safety. The division that was formed was between good and evil. Jeremiah spoke for God, thus those who were against him were doing evil. When the king realized that his acquiescence to the demands of those within his royal court would bring about the death of Jeremiah, he reversed his approval and had him set free. He also spoke with Jeremiah for guidance and counsel yet went against it and Jerusalem was destroyed. The conflicts between good and evil that were present then, are still present throughout the world today to an even greater extent, for they exist today with the full Revelation of Jesus Christ. All of God’s Creation has demonstrated this pattern and we know as Christian that there will be a final end to this when all that has positioned itself against the Ultimate Good will be destroyed. Yet, with this understanding, conflict persists.
There are many who are unsure of how to approach the Jesus Question. There are still others who refuse to contemplate it when living out their lives. Then there are those who made the choice against Jesus, refusing to recognize His divinity, and instead choose to unite themselves to evil. Here we have the division of the Human Family and the conflicts which arise between all things. God created order out of chaos. Evil, by its very nature, brings chaos. To reestablish order, more chaos results because of the final extinction of all things evil. When there is chaos in our lives, it demonstrates an absence of God. This battle rages in all human beings and spills out into God’s creation as decisions made against order and good are done so frequently and with abandon. There is God’s will and our will. A key indication that God’s will is not paramount in something is when there is conflict. These things should be avoided at all costs if we want to enjoy a transformative experience and a joyous life.
Welcoming Jesus into our lives and surrendering our will over to God begins a progression towards normalcy, stability, and right living. Things come together and are made better as a result. Unfortunately, because of our perchance to sin and to seize control of our lives back from God, this natural stability becomes at risk and then chaos and calamity return. There are many who just accept this situation as a part of life, but we should understand differently. The Letter to the Hebrews invites us to put all of these things behind us and embrace Jesus Christ instead with the knowledge and understanding that, because He suffered and dies for us, He gave everything away so that we may be presented an opportunity for a better life and an eternity with God. There is a reminder that with Jesus comes forgiveness of sins, an end to personal and societal struggles, and ultimately salvation. What is causing many people to lack the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our savior when the alternative has proven to be must worse?
Undoubtedly it is pride and free will that inhibit many to fully receive Jesus Christ in their hearts. There is also a genuine lack of wisdom regarding these things; the wisdom of the world taking precedence over that which is God. Unfortunately for us, it is the wisdom of God that is victorious over the wisdom of the world time and time again. Reminding ourselves that the presence of conflict and chaos are a key indicator that evil abounds and can threaten everything from our livelihood, emotional state, and ultimately our State of Grace. Letting go of our pride, free will, and our attraction to the materialistic ways of society, can bring us to a better place where our conflicts will diminish and be replaced with joy and love instead. At the root of love comes Jesus. It is through that love that the chaos will gradually end and peace will result. Peace then leads to joy and joy ends with love.
Deacon Tom
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