A reading from the prophecy of Jeremiah
(Chapter 38:4-6; 8-10)
This reading and the passage read today from Luke's Gospel concern the harsh fact that those who preach the word of God and the word itself can be unpopular and divisive. Jeremiah, a prophet of the seventh century before the birth of Jesus, tried to warn the kingdom of Judah to submit to an impending invasion of the country by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. This message, he said, came from God. As we hear in this passage, people rejected this message and mistreated Jeremiah, nearly killing him. A court official told the Judaean king, Zedekiah, what had occurred and begged him to have Jeremiah rescued. Jeremiah, again speaking what he had learned from God, told the king that if he submitted to the Babylonians, they would let him live. But when the invasion came, Zedekiah and his family and soldiers tried to escape and, as the prophet had warned, they were captured and killed.
Responsorial Psalm
(Psalm 40: 2, 3, 4, 18)
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp....
This psalm, attributed to David, speaks of keeping our faith firm amid life's difficulties. Jeremiah did that in extreme circumstances, and God calls us to do that even as we are buffeted by the problems of our own lives.
A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
(Chapter 12: 1-4)
The author of this letter is addressing Christians in the first century, reminding them that in resisting sin in their own lives and in staying firm against opposition or abuse from those who think differently they are doing only what is expected of a disciple of Jesus. After all, the writer points out, Jesus, in his passion and death, endured more than those first converts had endured. Unlike us in the Western Hemisphere in the 21st century, the Christians to whom this was first addressed lived in an atmosphere of persecution. For any one of them, pain and death at the hands of the Roman empire or others was always a threat. And yet, the writer says, do not "grow weary and lose heart." Despite the difference between their situation and ours, the Church has preserved this letter so that we can apply its message to ourselves. It urges us, too, to remain strong in the face of anything that threatens our fidelity to Christ, including the indifference or even ridicule of others and the risk of our own spiritual laxity or carelessness. And, of course, the memory of those first courageous Christians inspires us to pray for members of Christ who are persecuted in many parts of the world.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
(Chapter 12:49-53)
In these remarks to his disciples, Jesus describes what is already going on around him and because of him—namely, people choosing up sides, for or against the gospel he is preaching. Of course, by saying he came not to bring peace but to sow division, he doesn't mean that he desires division. Rather, he foresees that only some folks will be able to form their lives in keeping with his teaching and his example. Only some will be willing to love their fellow human beings without distinction. Only some will place the common good above their own interests, comfort, and convenience. Only some will be moved to love those who do not love them. Others will ignore, distort, or openly reject that radical gospel, dividing families, ethnic communities, even whole nations. One thinks of a lyric by Arlo Guthrie:
Jesus, stumbling through the streets
on the road to Calvary,
nailed high to testify
with other local thieves.
And as they hung there dying,
one asked what lay beyond.
"That all depends," the Master said,
"Which side are you on?"
†††
Painting: The prophet Jeremiah, Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564). Sistine Chapel, Vatican..
Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Charles Paolino is managing editor at RENEW International and a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Metuchen.