Commentary:
Placing this incident in perspective, Jeremiah is already being held by the guards of the princes who complain to the King. What Jeremiah has been saying is that, because the people have turned from God, the city is going to fall to the King of Babylon and any who wish to be saved should flee the city and go to the Chaldeans.
When they are allowed to deal with the Prophet in their own way, the Guards put Jeremiah into a water cistern that has been drained where he sinks into the mud at the bottom. Clearly he is in imminent danger of death. Not wishing to bring more of God’s wrath upon him, the King authorizes Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian, to rescue him.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Psalm 40 is a lament. This selection gives reference to calling for God’s help in times of distress and the reference to being drawn out of "the pit of destruction, out of the muddy swamp" is a link back to Jeremiah’s situation described in the first reading.
Speaking to the Hebrews, St. Paul exhorts them to follow the example of witnesses both ancient (from the Old Testament) and contemporary. He uses Christ as the banner of steadfast faith, who, seeing the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, endured the Cross for the sake of salvation for the people.
This discourse from St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the divisive nature of Christ’s message. He has already encountered resistance and sees that his message of peace will have an even more profound affect on the world. It is clear the Lord knows that many will not be able to accept his words and this will cause enmity between people, even families.
Reflection:
Today we are reminded that, while the rewards of the faith are tremendous, the do no come without a secular price. Jesus has already seen the resistance to his message and knows that it will grow and intensify as more people come to understand who the Son of Man is and what His message means to those in power.
From the beginning, since God cast out Satan, the message of love has contended for the hearts of people with the message of hate, good fights against evil, and sacrifice with greed. It was implicit in the first reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah. The conflict is epitomized in the message of Jesus. His call to absolute virtue will always be seen as a treat to those who would rather cling to the darkness. St. Paul address this very issue in his Letter to the Hebrews ("let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us").
The message comes to us at a time when the secular world with its hedonistic values seems to be gaining strength. We must be prepared to face stiff resistance, even from within our own families as we strive to stay the course Christ has called us to. Let us pray today then that we have the strength in the Holy Spirit to fight the good fight, to run the good race, and in the end come to the victory Christ promises.
2 The picture used today is An Angle and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child by Giacinto Gimignani
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