Reflection for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
The lectionary translation of the readings for this Sunday can be found HERE
1st Reading:
Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
This short selection from the Book of Jeremiah shows the struggle between the earthly wisdom of the King’s advisors and the word God is sending through the prophet. The connection with the Gospel is the division Jesus is saying the preaching of his word will cause.
2nd Reading:
Hebrews 12:1-4
In today’s selection from Hebrews, we drop down several verses to a portion that coincides somewhat with the Gospel message. You will hear the author telling the community how Jesus resisted opposition from sinners and how he should be their model as they endure the sufferings resulting from their resistance to sin.
Gospel:
Luke 12:49-53
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. Lk 12:51
Setting & Parallels:
Jesus is still on his journey to Jerusalem. This selection is preceded, before the sections against greed, by the denunciation of the Pharisees and Scribes along with a saying calling for courage under persecution. Mt 10:34-36 is similar to Luke. Mark 10:38 has the comment about the baptism with which Jesus will be baptized.
Verse by Verse:
Lk 12:49a “I have come to set the earth on fire…” | The fire imagery can be interpreted in many ways, a purifying fire, a life giving fire, a destructive fire, etc. Luke 3:16-17 indicates that Jesus will baptize with fire, probably a purifying fire; but, it is also a fire of judgement at the same time. Some scripture scholars see this comment as referring to the final conflagration at the end of the world. But, Jesus seems to be referring to his death as in Is Jesus’ death somehow the beginning of this process?
Lk 12:49b “…how I wish it were already blazing!” | It appears to me that this comment must be connected to the comment about anxiety in Lk 12:50b.
Lk 12:50a “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized…” | Jesus is talking about his death. This reminds us of his comment to James and John, in the Gospel of Mark, when they wanted to be seated at his right and left. (Mk 10:38-39) This is connected to the parallel reading in Mark, Mk 10:34-36.
Lk 12:50b “…how great is my anguish…” | His anguish is also reflected in the story of the Agony in the Garden; Lk 22:41-43, Mt 26:38-39 and Mk 14:34-36.
Lk 12:51a “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth…” | Jesus is talking about worldly concepts of peace here; peace as absence of conflict. This is not to be confused with the peace he gives, a deeper, an inner peace.
Lk 12:51b “…No, I tell you, but rather division.” | This division is described as among families. A great example of what Christians endured is the story of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, found at https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0324.htm.
What the 1st hearers heard:
I assume the 1st hearers were already suffering from persecutions or the threat of them. Their resolve would have been strengthened by this because it is presented as a normal result of living The Way.
What would change if our community really heard this Gospel?
We would assess how much we are living according to the world’s wisdom against the wisdom of God.
What is the good news in this Gospel?
The good news of this Gospel is that we are not in this alone. We are in it with Jesus.
Gospel Reflection
Jesus & Division on Earth
It is too simple to assume that the division Jesus is talking about is similar to the division being experienced by our society today. Following Jesus didn’t create the divisions we are experiencing today… we created them all on our own!
The early Christians were suffering from the division created by the fact that they were living “The Way” that Jesus taught. A major problem was that followers of The Way wouldn’t sacrifice to the pagan gods. Such sacrifices were a requirement for citizens in the first centuries. I was like our paying taxes. Each person was expected to do their part to keep the gods happy and out of human affairs.
The divisions in our society, I think, result from the fact that we live in a version of a majority rule system. In such systems, there are always winners and losers and the inherent conflicts of that reality. Both sides, in our system, think they are right. The one in power imposes their “right” on the other. The result is, sometimes, less than peaceful.
Jesus didn’t impose living The Way on anyone. Its popularity grew because of the early preaching and the effect it was having on its proponents and the society they lived in. It eventually became accepted and normalized. It even went through a disastrous period of trying to impose itself on people. Now, for the most part, it is just being lived by its adherents and hopefully having a good effect on the world.
My question is, what if everyone lived the pure tenets of Christianity? By pure tenets I don’t mean the rules some wish to impose on others. I mean the law of love that Jesus taught. What if we all lived for the other rather than for ourselves. Would there be any division in society? Could there be any division in society?
I also don’t think pure Christianity is peaceful coexistence. I think that is a mistranslation of the Pope’s August intention. Peaceful coexistence originally described a foreign policy concept developed by Soviet Russia wherein they believed they could advance their communist system without resorting to war. In today’s English it seems to simply mean peacefully accepting the other’s right to believe what they believe.
Pure Christianity, I think, means to embrace the other, in their differences. To that end, I did see another translation of the Pope’s intention which called it Mutual Coexistence. Mutuality implies an interdependence which I think gets more to the proper Christian attitude. Imagine embracing the other, with their differences and the deep understanding that we need each other. That is the pure Christian attitude.
Once we can embrace the other, in their differences, and claim our need for each other, then we can begin to work out the parameters of how we live together. And that is the issue. Do you have to change your ways to better align with mine? Or, do we work out how best my needs and your needs can be fulfilled at the same time.
Personally, I suggest that we don’t start out trying to change the other. I suggest that we try to see and feel them. Why do they believe what they believe? Why do they act the way they act? What are the underlying emotions? Where do those emotions come from? This effort to see and understand the other is an act of Christian love. It’s a way of embracing the other. It’s how we follow The Way that Jesus taught.
Just like in the first centuries, our living The Way faithfully is a danger to the powers that be. Their power seems to be based upon us being divided. If we all lived The Way, their powers would disappear. That’s the conflict that Jesus was talking about, the conflict between good and evil. That is why The Way is so dangerous to those in power.
If we are all living The Way, then maybe, we can eventually have a society wherein we each see and feel the other, wherein we understand each other, wherein we embrace the other, and wherein we can work on solving our problems together. That’s when the Kingdom will have come.
God bless you all…
P.S. If you want a feel for what the first Christians went through, read the account of Perpetua and Felicity, found at https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0324.htm.
Personal Reflection:
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. Lk 12:51
Question:
What words or phrases attracted your attention during the Liturgy of the Word on Sunday? What connection do those words or phrases have to your day-to-day life? (Why do you think they attracted your attention?) What might God be trying to say to you through these words or phrases? What response should you make? What action should you take?
Alternative:
Share about/Reflect upon your understanding of the hopes and dreams of someone with whom you disagree. What would you need to do to be able to see the situation through their eyes? What would need to happen for you to be able to embrace the other in their differences?
