Luke 12:49-53

Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10

Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18

Hebrews 12:1-4

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I pray for your mercy during times of trial, testing, and tribulation. I want to be an agent of peace in my family and community. Strengthen me to overcome fear so that I may live in your truth always.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Fire and Water: Today’s Gospel invokes the apocalyptic images of fire and water, often coupled with the two destructions of the world. Water was the way the world was destroyed the first time in Genesis 6-9. Fire was believed to be how the world would be destroyed at the end of time (see 2 Peter 3). Jesus links the two images of the end of the world with his own person. Jesus speaks of his baptism, which is linked to his suffering and death (Mark 10:38-39). Going down into the waters symbolizes his crucifixion and death. And just as the ancient flood cleansed the world of sin, Jesus’ baptism will have a similar yet greater effect and truly cleanse the world of sin. Just as water symbolizes death and purification, so also fire symbolizes death and purification. You can purify metals through fire. What Jesus is doing is teaching his disciples along the way to Jerusalem about his death and resurrection, and how this will free humanity from sin and death.

2. The Division and Tribulation Jesus Sets in Motion: When Jesus says that he has come to establish division on the earth and not peace, he is referring to a prophecy from Micah 7. There, Micah speaks about the coming age of salvation. But before the age of salvation, there would be a time of tribulation and trial. And this is what Jesus is referring to – the time of testing, tribulation, trial, and division within the people of Israel. The division will be so deep that it will affect and divide family members. Jesus, then, is announcing that he is fulfilling the prophecy of Micah. He sets in motion the time of tribulation that precedes the time of salvation (see Pitre, The Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C, Catholic Productions). Now, there are three important tribulations: the time before Jesus’ death, the time before the destruction of Jerusalem, and the time before the end of the world. Each of these events is connected to the unleashing of the power and glory of the kingdom of God in the world and in the world to come. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer to be spared during the time of tribulation when we pray: “Lead us not into temptation.” It is a prayer for divine mercy. And we are strengthened by knowing that our time of trial will come to an end one day and that if we persevere, we will enjoy eternal salvation.  

3. The Cloud of Witnesses: As we journey toward heaven and run the race, the Letter to the Hebrews (today’s Second Reading) encourages us by reminding us that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. These are the saints who have gone before us and now intercede for us in heaven. They are alive in heaven and like a cloud that has descended upon the earth, they now surround us and cheer us on as we run the race. They see the tribulations, trials, testing, and division that we face. The Letter to the Hebrews lists many of the Old Testament saints who persevered through trial and now enjoy the promises made by God. We can learn from their stories and can be comforted,  knowing that they and the saints of the Christian era intercede for us in heaven.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the pioneer of our salvation. You lead the cloud of witnesses. Thank you for revealing the Father and his love for us through your life and suffering. I share in your death through my baptism and also in your resurrection. Purify me with the fire of your Spirit so that I may be a part of the cloud of witnesses one day and intercede for my brothers and sisters before the Father.

Living the Word of God: Who are the saints I ask to intercede for me? How do they inspire me by the example of their holy lives?