Cycle C - Year II:  

14 August 2022: 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 

"I have come to set the earth on fire!"

Shocking events or news, and even statements can jolt us from our comfort zone. They shake us from believing, thinking and doing what is routine and normal. But also shocking event, news or statements can challenge us to open up to new horizon and possibilities, and deepen our faith in the almighty and powerful God.

We hear shocking statements from our Lord Jesus Christ 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)

Now, we know in our reading of the Bible that our Lord often uses shocking overstatements to convey certain  truth or to make a point. So Jesus "shocked" His disciples that He would cast fires and cause division rather than peace on earth.  

So then we also ask: "Is not our Lord Jesus Christ the 'Prince of peace'?"  Then what do we make of His statements that He comes to bring division instead?

Well, Jesus is talking about the impact of His teachings on relationships.  Let us explain this further. 

Jesus preaches the coming of God's kingdom as a time of judgment. He warns us to take seriously the consequences of our choice, either for or against God.  So to be a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ is like walking the difficult path, especially now in a world consumed with things pleasurable to us. Often preaching the Good News of God's kingdom is met with great resistance, and sometimes ridicule and even martyrdom. So that being a disciple of Christ means sacrificing our relationship with others who do not believe, and even among ourselves.

In the national scene, preaching of the Good News may cause the Church's own persecution and ridicule from those in power and even from those who profess to be "Catholics".  But it is the moral obligation of the Church, for example, to protect the sanctity of marriage, raise its voice against abortion, fight against disinformation and fake news, corruption in public governance and other ills in society that are clearly against the will of God.

Jesus warns that even family loyalties would be challenged on the basis of whether people accept or not the preaching on the kingdom of God. The warning is also for us in our generation. For the essence of Christianity is loyalty to our Lord Jesus Christ, a loyalty that takes precedence over every other human relationships.

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

As Christians we must be "on fire"  with God's love, and be moved by the Holy Spirit in listening and practicing all of our Lord's teachings. The Gospel proclamation is really a call to conversion to become a new creation in Christ, by 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 clear stand for God's kingdom.  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!