20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Jer 38:4-6, 8-10
Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18
Heb 12:1-4
Lk 12:49-53

Have you seen those “photomosaic” pictures of Christ? Hundreds of small pictures of different people making up the face of Christ. Today’s Gospel is much like those contemporary, high-tech portraits; as we listen to Jesus describe the difficult consequences of preaching the Kingdom. He’s come, he says, to set a fire on the earth, to receive a painful baptism, to create division among family members. As the message is preached, those who cannot accept it will find themselves in opposition to Christ.

So how are these troubling words from Jesus like those multi-faceted portraits? Well, as we listen and look to Jesus in today’s Gospel, I believe we’re also seeing the many faces of the early Christians for whom Saint Luke preached and wrote the Gospel. They must have faced persecution from outside—a harsh baptism of fire—and divisions internally, as these first-century followers of Christ tried to put into practice his message.

Can we find our own faces there as well? To preach the Gospel will sometimes mean placing ourselves in opposition to prevailing opinion, and even in opposition to values held by our families and friends. We can take some consolation in knowing that other Christians have endured it before us; and, more importantly, Jesus himself.

Scripture:

•So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern.…There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. (Jeremiah 38:6)

•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. (Psalm 40:3)

•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. (Hebrews 12:1,2)

•Jesus said to his disciples, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Luke 12:49)

Reflection:

•Do you feel trapped or stuck in some situation or lifestyle that you would like to be freed from?

•Do you feel trapped be expectations or demands of others that are not completely consistent with how you feel that you should live your faith in Jesus?

•Do you believe that your faith in Jesus and prayer is the first step towards changing a life circumstance?

•Are you willing to begin changing your life through prayer, sacraments and listening to God’s Word?

Adult faith is clearly and explicitly rooted in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the Christian community. “The Christian faith is above all, conversion to Jesus Christ, full and sincere adherence to his person and the decision to walk in his footsteps.” Our understanding of the person and the way of Jesus continues to grow by our meditation on the word of God, by prayer and sacrament, by our efforts to follow Jesus’ example, and the sure guidance of the Church’s teaching.