Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]

CCC 575-576: Christ, a sign of contradiction
CCC 1816: A disciple should witness to the faith with boldness
CCC 2471-2474: Giving testimony to the truth
CCC 946-957, 1370, 2683-2684: Our communion with the saints
CCC 1161: Sacred images remind us of the “cloud of witnesses”
 

“An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child”
by Giacinto Gimignani 1660’s

Readings for Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1 Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
 
In those days, the princes said to the king:
"Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin."
King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power";
for the king could do nothing with them.
And so they took Jeremiah
and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah,
which was in the quarters of the guard,
letting him down with ropes.
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech, a court official,
went there from the palace and said to him:
"My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city."
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.
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Commentary on  Jer 38:4-6, 8-10

Placing this incident in perspective, Jeremiah is already being held by the guards of the princes who have complained to the king about the prophet. What Jeremiah has been saying is that the city is going to fall to the king of Babylon because the people have turned from God,  and any who wish to be saved should flee the city and go to the Chaldeans.
 
When they are allowed to deal with Jeremiah in their own way, the guards put Jeremiah into a drained water cistern 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.
 
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Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18
 
R. (14b) Lord, come to my aid!
 
I have waited, waited for the Lord,
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
 
The Lord heard my cry.
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.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
 
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the Lord.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
 
Though I am afflicted and poor,
yet the Lord thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!
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Commentary on Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18
 
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" could be a contextual reference to Jeremiah’s situation described in the first reading.
 
CCC: Ps 40:2 2657
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Reading II Hebrews 12:1-4
 
Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
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.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
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Commentary on Heb 12:1-4

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.
 
The author returns to his principal theme in this selection. He encourages the faithful to redouble their zeal for the faith. It is interesting that the author mentions specifically how the community (cloud of witnesses) strengthens the faith. The reading goes on to place Christ’s passion as a model of steadfastness, encouraging the faithful to resist against all opposition. This resistance, says the author, should include shedding one’s own blood for the faith.
 
CCC: Heb 12:1-2 165; Heb 12:1 1161, 2683; Heb 12:2 147; Heb 12:3 569, 598
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Gospel Luke 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
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Commentary on Lk 12:49-53
 
This discourse from St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the divisive nature of Christ’s message. He has already encountered resistance, and the author sees that his message of peace will have an even more profound influence on the world. It is clear that the Lord knows many will not be able to accept his words, and this will cause enmity among people, even within families.
 
In this passage, there is a glimpse of the passion (the baptism mentioned in  v.50  shares the image presented in Psalm 124:4-5), and the anguish the Lord feels for the message he is bringing. He sees the flame of faith igniting the whole world. Jesus knows there will be those who accept the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and those who will reject both it and him.
 
CCC: Lk 12:49 696; Lk 12:50 536, 607, 1225, 2804
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Reflection:

Today we are reminded that, while the rewards of the faith are tremendous, they do not 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 contends for the hearts of people against the message of hate, good fights against evil, and sacrifice contends 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 threat to those who would rather cling to the darkness. St. Paul addresses 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").
 
One of the most striking effects of the spiritual warfare already being evidenced in our society is the fear of expressing belief in Christ and Christian values.  We see this most graphically in social media where an expression of traditional values often results in being “deleted” and words like “woke” come into vogue.
 
We need to understand that if we do not express our beliefs publicly, soon they will appear to have disappeared completely and the enemy will have won. One way to continue to make statements that Christianity is alive and well and not afraid to be seen is to pray publicly.  Pray at meals in restaurants.  Pray at work or at school without being overly demonstrative but clearly praying at appropriate private times without fear someone will notice and think you odd or fanatic. 
 
Another possible avenue is to ask those who serve you in the secular world (e.g., waiters, salespeople, etc.) if there is something for which they need or would like prayers.  In my personal experience, most people will offer something to be prayed for and even in those who say something like “Oh, that’s so nice,” but clearly do wish to go further, we have found a person who needs prayer but is unaware of the power for good it offers.
 
The message comes to us at a time when the secular world with its hedonistic values is gaining strength. Those in power seek to eliminate the challenge of the Gospel message and the voice of the Church. 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.
Pax
 
In other years on August 14: Optional Memorial for Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani 1660’s.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.