TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2025)

Readings:

Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10

Psalms 40:2-4, 18

Hebrews 12:1-4

Luke 12:49-53

The prophet Jeremiah is one of the most reluctant and grumpiest of the prophets in the Old Testament, and today’s first reading gives solid evidence of why that is the case.  The message that Jeremiah was tasked to deliver to the princes and king of his day infuriated them, to the point of suggesting that Jeremiah should “be put to death.”  King Zedekiah was reluctant to do that, recognizing Jeremiah as an authentic prophet, but the king was finally coaxed to hand Jeremiah over to the hands of the princes who could do whatever they wished with Jeremiah.  They threw Jeremiah into a deep cistern that contained only mud, and left him there to die.  Jeremiah paid a high price for speaking the word of God, and speaking the Word of God, even in our own day, continues to exact a high price on those with the fortitude to accept the prophetic dimension of their Christian vocation.  All of the Old Testament prophets understood well the challenges of being close to God and boldly speaking God’s Word.

As we are aware, the early Christians likewise knew the challenges that came with identifying themselves as Christians, followers of Jesus of Nazareth.  Indeed, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews can speak of them as a “great cloud of witnesses,” whose example should assist us in leaving sin behind, and persevering “in running the race that lies before us.”  For some of us life is like a short sprint; for others it is more like a grueling marathon, filled with challenges and difficulties.  Ironically, Jesus in today’s gospel, starkly prepares His listeners for the challenges that lie ahead.

The great Prince of Peace truly comes across as driven: “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.”  Luke’s Jesus is a God/Man with a mission, and He is not going to sugar-coat what that mission entails.  The fire is not the destructive fire with which we are so familiar, a fire in whose rage forests fall and houses are consumed.  The fire Jesus is speaking about burns within the heart and soul of all those who accept Him as the Christ, God’s only Son.  Rather than destroy, it is a fire that enlightens, much like the Paschal candle that is shared with the faithful to enlighten a darkened church.

Jesus knows what lies ahead.  The baptism in “which [He] must be baptized” is not the baptism of John in the Jordan, it is the baptism of suffering and death which His Father told Him He must embrace in order to bring His mission to completion.  It is no wonder that Jesus admits the great “anguish” He is feeling until it is accomplished.

Our gospel passage from Luke is a remarkable glimpse into the insight of the Lord.  Indeed, given the lateness of the composition of Luke’s gospel, it might just be a picture of what was happening at the time.  The Jewish people and the Gentiles were most assuredly divided over who was Jesus of Nazareth.  A glance at the political divisions we have today gives us a sense of what had to be the case at the beginning of Christianity.  Households would be divided about the real status of that Jesus of Nazareth.  While the influence of the actual person who drew large crowds had not completely waned, Jesus’ message was dependent on real people sharing that message, real people living that message, real people hearing that message.  Jesus’ statement, ‘I have come not to establish peace, but rather division,’ is an honest assessment of what Jesus knew was to come.  His message was radical, and it both threatened and upended the Jewish faith of His day.

Today Jesus still relies on us, His disciples, to spread His message, less with our lips, and more with our lives.  We need to allow the fire Jesus lit in our hearts to explode into a blaze which doesn’t destroy.  Rather it illuminates other hearts to be on fire with love for the Lord.  Not to contradict Jesus’ telling and accurate statement, but we believe it is His teaching which will bring true peace – His love for all people, His practice of non-violence, His love for calming moments of prayer, His restraint on judging others, His desire for patience, His selflessness, His lack of dependence on worldly goods, His love for His Mother, His earthly father, and His friends, His desire to sacrifice all for the sake of others.  Yes, let us be instruments of His peace, for our troubled world is very much in need of peace, today and always.