Cycle C - Year I:  

18 August 2019: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10

Second Reading:   Hebrews 12:1-4

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 12:49-53

To "set the earth on fire!"

We wake up this morning to shocking statements from our Lord Jesus Himself in this Sunday's Gospel proclamation:  "I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing!"  (Lk 12:49)

Shocking statements, events or news, can jolt us from our comfort zone. They shake us from believing, thinking and doing what is routine and normal. 

But also shocking statements can challenge us to open up to new horizon and possibilities, and deepen our faith in the almighty and powerful God.

This seems to be the purpose of the Gospel proclamation for this Sunday.

Jesus "shocked" His disciples  when He declared that He would cast fires and cause division rather than peace on earth.  Now, we know that our Lord often uses shocking overstatement to convey certain truth or make a point.

But just what did Jesus mean by these "shocking" words in today's Gospel narrative?  If Jesus is the "Prince of peace" then how come that He now says to the disciples that He comes to bring division instead?

Well, Jesus is talking about the impact of His teachings on relationships.

Let us understand that. Jesus preaches the coming of God's kingdom as a time of judgement.  He warns us to take seriously the consequences of our choice, meaning either for or against God.  Because to be a follower of Jesus Christ is like walking the difficult path, especially in a world consumed with things pleasurable here and now.  So that preaching the Good News of God's kingdom is met with great resistance, and sometimes ridicule and even martyrdom.  It seems  that being a disciple of Christ means sacrificing a big deal in terms of our relationship with others and among ourselves.

In the national scene, for example, the continuing drive against illegal drugs and the Catholic Church's stand against the culture of death and extrajudicial killings seem to cause deep division among the nation and even those who professed to be Catholics.   And yet, it is the moral obligation of the Church to oppose something that is clearly against the will of God, even if this causes the Church's own persecution and ridicule from those in power and some who called themselves "Catholics".

This is not unexpected because Jesus states that even family loyalties would be challenged on the basis of whether people accept or not the kingdom of God.  And this challenge is also with us today in our generation.  For the essence of Christianity is loyalty to our Lord Jesus Christ, a loyalty that takes precedence over every other relationship.

Thus, Jesus challenges the disciples to examine who they love first and foremost.  He insists that His disciples give Him the loyalty which is due only to God, a loyalty which is higher  than relationship of spouse or kin or any other human relationship.  Because the love of God compels us to choose who will be first in our lives.  

Also, the image of fire is frequently mentioned in the Bible and does not have just one meaning.  It could mean the image of purification and illumination, but fire also could be the image of devastation and punishment.

But as Christian we are meant to be "on fire" with God's love, and be moved by the Holy Spirit in listening and practicing our Lord's teaching.

So in sum, the Gospel this Sunday is really a call to conversion to becoming a new creation in Christ.  It means shedding the skin of our former way of living, and converting into a blazing fire of God's love.

Let us pray. Lord Jesus, shock me out of complacency and make my heart burn within me.  For Your message is not just being nice all the times, but also being angry at times, confronting injustice and evils in our midst, and making a stand for God's kingdom.  So help us, Lord of fire, to be ablaze with Christian love and justice, when times call for us to act decisively.  Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!