An Authentic Commitment to Jesus

Readings for Sunday, August 21, 2018

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                            Il-20 Ħadd matul is-Sena                                                                       

Messalin Ċ pp 366

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.  This is the Word of The Lord.

l-Ewwel Qari  -   mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Geremija 38, 4-10

F’dak iż-żmien, il-prinċpijiet marru jgħidu lis-sultan: “Ħalli jiġi maqtul Geremija. għax b'dan il-kliem li qiegħed jgħidilhom qiegħed jaqta’ qalb is-suldati li  fadal f’din il-belt u qalb il-poplu kollu.   Tassew,  bniedem  bħal dan mhuwiex  ifittex il-ġid ta’ dan il-poplu,  imma l-qerda tieghu.”     U s-Sultan Sedekija qalilhom:  “Araw, f’idejkom, hu!   Għax   is-sultan ma jista' jagħmel  xejn maghkom.” U ħadu lil Ġeremija u xeħtuh fil-bir ta’ Malakija, bin is-sultan;  li kien fil-bitħa tal-għassa;  imbagħad lil Ġeremija  nizzluh  bil-ħbula f’dan il-bir, ilma ma kienx fih, imma ħama biss;  u Ġeremija għodos fil-ħama.  Għebed-Melek ħareg mill-palazz tas-sultan,  mar ikellmu u qallu: “Sidi s-sultan, dawn in-nies ġiebu  ruħhom ħażin  f’kulma għamlu lil Ġeremija l-profeta, li  xeħtuh fil-bir, u  dalwaqt imut bil-ġuħ, għax ma baqax ħobż fil-belt”.   Is-sultan imbaghad ordna lil Għebed-Melek il-Kusi u qallu:  “Ħu mieghek tlitt irġiel minn dawn u mur tella’ lil Ġeremija, l-profeta, mill-bir, qabel ma jmut.” Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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/

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/

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/

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/

Salm Responsorjali      -    Salm 39 (40)

               R/     Mulej, fittex għinni. 

Ittamajt b’tama qawwija fil-Mulej,

Hu niżel ħdejja u sema’ l-għajta tiegħi. R/

Minn bir waħxi tellagħni,

minn qalb il-ħama u t-tajn,        

fuq il-blat  qegħidli riġlejja,

u saħħaħli l-mixi tiegħi.                               R/

Qegħidli fuq fommi għanja ġdida,

għanja ta’ tifħir lil Alla tagħna.

Ħafna jaraw u jimtlew bil-biża' tiegħu,

u jittamaw fil-Mulej.                                      R/

Jien, fqajjar u msejken,

għandi  'l Sidi jaħseb fija.

Inti  l-għajnuna u l-ħelsien tiegħi;

iddumx ma tgħinni, Alla tieghi!                R/

Reading 2                 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.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari   -   mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 12, 1-4

Ħuti,  ladarba aħna wkoll għandna madwarna shaba hekk kbira ta’ xhieda, ejjew inwarrbu minn kull xkiel u kull dnub li malajr  ifixkilna, u  b’qalbna qawwija, nibqghu niġru t-triq tal-prova  li għandna quddiemna.  Inżommu għajnejna merfugħa lejn Gesu’, li minnu tibda u fih tintemm il-fidi tagħna, hu li, flok l-hena li kellu quddiemu, qagħad għas-salib bla xejn ma qies il-għajb tiegħu, u issa qiegħed fuq in-naħa tal-lemin tat-tron ta’ Alla.  Aħsbu mela fih, li qagħad għal oppożizzjoni hekk kbira min-naħa tal-mindinbin, biex ma tegħjewx u ma taqtghux qalbkom. Sa issa, fil-ġlieda tagħkom kontra d-dnub, għad ma żammejtux hekk iebes li wasaltu  biex xerridtu demmkom.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evangelju  -  Qari skont San Luqa 12, 49-53

D’dak iz-zmien, Ġesu’ qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Nar ġejt inqiegħed fuq l-art u kemm nixtieq li ga qabad! Iżda hemm magħmudija li biha għandi nitghammed, u  x’diqa għandi sa ma dan iseħħ! Taħsbu intom li jien ġejt inġib il-paci fid-dinja?   Le,  ngħidilkom, imma l-firda; għax mil-lum ‘il quddiem  ħamsa minn nies f’dar waħda  jkunu mifruda bejniethom,  tlieta kontra tnejn u tnejn kontra tlieta:  jinfirdu l-missier  kontra l-iben u l-iben kontra l-missier,  l-omm kontra l-bint  u l-bint kontra l-omm, omm ir-raġel kontra mart binha u mart l-iben kontra omm żewġha.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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                                                    Commentary by Fr Thomas Rosica

An Authentic Commitment to Jesus Changes our Lifestyle and Relationships

The Scripture readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time invite us to consider the implications of our commitments, our lifestyles and our relationships with others.  In the first reading from Jeremiah, the biblical prophet is called to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.  Jesus, like Jeremiah, will experience the prophet’s fate [Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10].

In the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews [12:1-4], we learn once again that Jesus, the great architect of the Christian faith had himself to endure the cross before receiving the glory of his triumph.  Reflection on his sufferings gives us courage to continue the struggle, if necessary even to the shedding of blood.  We must regard our own sufferings as the affectionate correction of the Lord, who loves us as a father loves his children.

In Sunday’s Gospel [Luke 12:49-53] Jesus reminds the crowd that those who commit to him will find that it affects the way they relate to friends and family members.  A serious commitment to Jesus forces us to change the way we live our lives, and this can put strains on relationships.  We don’t expect to hear such difficult words from Jesus in the Gospels. But it is good to be reminded once in a while that the decision to do the right thing, the good thing and the best thing, is not always easy and without conflict. Jesus himself did not make easy decisions and avoid conflict. Jesus reminds his followers to be prepared for difficult decisions and conflict as well.

Jesus demands a decision either for or against his message

The baptism referred to in Sunday’s Gospel is actually Christ’s passion and death.  He longs for this event to take place [Luke 12:50].  Family members are divided against one another; the harsh reality is that the Church’s mission of conversion will not be a total success.  Jesus demands a decision either for or against his message.  “I came to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were already kindled” [Luke 12:49].  Jesus did not sit on the fence, resisting hard decisions for fear of not being accepted.  He never sought harmony and a middle way in every dispute.  He walked into the midst of great conflicts of his time and was unafraid of making tough decisions.

Let us reflect for a moment on our own lack of courage and conviction in the many decisions we must make in life.  Many of us hold a view that Christians should always seek harmony and a ‘middle way’ in every dispute and we assume that tension and conflict are worse evils than injustice and oppression.  We place a very high premium on being liked and accepted by everyone!  And we are often very afraid of revealing who we really are and what we really believe to those we think are friends!  We fear rejection!

Those who are afraid of conflict or confrontation, even when it is non-violent, are usually convinced of the need for change.  The deeper question is this: What is authentic reconciliation?  Many would like to believe that Jesus brought a message of peace and reconciliation.  It is of course true that one of the things Jesus wanted to hand on to his disciples was his peace, and that he said: “Blessed are the peacemakers,” but this must be understood in the context of an more provocative saying of Jesus in two of the Gospels: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth?  No, I tell you, but rather dissension.  For from now on a household will be divided: Three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law”  [Luke 12:51-53; Matthew 10:34-36].

Jesus used this biblical quote from the prophet Micah not to show us that he was a divisive personality or teacher or that he desired to bring dissension and conflict for their own sake.  Nor did he wish to “lord” it over others because of his intimate knowledge of the law and the prophets of Israel’s ancient traditions.  Instead Jesus wanted to teach his disciples that his uncompromising stance inevitably divided the people into those who were for him and those who were against him.  He was never engaged in a popularity contest.

Furthermore, in the continuing saga of conflict between Pharisees and the so-called ‘sinners,’ Jesus of Nazareth sided with the sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors against the Pharisees.  In the conflict between the rich and the poor he sided with the poor.  Jesus did not treat each side as equally right or equally wrong, nor did he try to tell people that they simply needed to overcome their difficulties and misunderstandings, shake hands and make up!  Jesus condemned the Pharisees and the rich unequivocally, and he forgave sinners and blessed the poor.  He always entered smack into the middle of the conflict with Pharisees and the rich to such an extent that they set out to discredit him, arrest him, charge him and execute him.

Jesus never compromised himself and his convictions with the powers to be for the sake of a false irenicism (peacefulness and unity).  For Jesus there was never a question of preserving peace and unity at all costs, even at the cost of truth and justice.  Rather it is a matter of promoting truth and justice at all costs, even at the cost of creating conflict and dissension along the way.

There are many times in the Scriptures when Jesus strives to reconcile people who have been at odds with one another, e.g., Jews and Samaritans, Zealots, tax collectors, some individual Pharisees and sinners or the poor, etc.  Because of his actions with these people, he was recognized as a man of peace.  However Jesus always made a distinction between the peace that God wants, and the peace that the world wants [John 14:27].  The peace that God wants is a peace that is based on truth, justice and love.  The peace that the world offers is a superficial peace and unity that compromises the truth, that covers over the injustices and that is usually settled on for thoroughly selfish purposes.  Jesus destroys this false peace and even highlights the conflicts in order to promote a true and lasting peace.

Peace is the ultimate end of the Kingdom of God, but peace has a price. Jesus is warning the crowd that wherever the Word of God is heard and acted upon, division occurs.

Comforting the afflicted in a Brazilian Favela

Shortly after his election to the papacy, Pope Francis called for a “church for the poor.”  During his momentous visit to Rio de Janeiro for Brazil’s World Youth Day 2013, Pope Francis visited the community of Varginha in the favela of Manguinhos on July 25, 2013.  The slum-like neighborhood was once blighted with violence, drug crime and gang fighting.  This community offers a vivid example of the crushing poverty, uneven development and profound class divisions that plague Brazil even as it attempts to turn itself around.  Pope Francis spoke to a huge crowd of the favela residents who gathered in a football field of the violent slum of Rio de Janeiro.  Parts of Pope Francis’ talk give flesh and blood to today’s Gospel.

Pope Francis, like Jesus, demands a decision either for or against his message. The Bishop of Rome does not seek harmony and a middle way in every situation of extreme poverty, injustice and violence.  He is not afraid to enter into the midst of great conflicts of our time and he is willing to make tough decisions for the sake of authentic reconciliation, true justice and a lasting peace among peoples.  Let us learn from the example of Jesus of Nazareth and Francis of Buenos Aires.