(Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10; Psalm 40; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53)
At first glance today’s Gospel looks as if Jesus is looking to destroy things we hold dear. He speaks about fire on the earth and wishing it was kindling already. This is not about destroying; quite the opposite. This is Jesus eagerly awaiting Pentecost and the riches which the Holy Spirit will bring to the earth. The fire is the tongues of fire which will appear above the heads of the disciples. These tongues of fire would be the sparks which initiate a movement which would engulf the earth. From a few men and women in Jerusalem the flames of faith have spread throughout the world and now Christianity is the largest movement globally and it continues to grow.
When Jesus spoke the words recorded in the Gospel, He was speaking to a people who held family as the centre of their lives. To be separated from one’s family was scandalous and for some was literally a death sentence. But Jesus knew that His teaching was challenging enough that for some they would have to break family bonds to follow Him. Nowadays the Church speaks up for family values. We speak about our Church family as well as the family we became part of, when we were born. We know how important it is for children to grow up in a stable home and of how, for some, this is not the reality. All the more important then that we, as a Church family provide a sincere and warm welcome to everyone; regardless of their family circumstances; we are not here to judge.
In our first reading today, we hear about the prophet Jeremiah being cast into a well and left to starve because he spoke the truth and some of his listeners did not appreciate the truth. Perhaps it was too close to home; a little bit uncomfortable to hear. We may sometimes find ourselves not liking what we hear; we may find it uncomfortable or challenging to listen to. But this uncomfortableness is pricking our conscience. These are the times when we need to look into our heart and ask ourselves, why does what I hear make me feel uncomfortable?
There are times when I am struggling with a task and Pam asks me, have you prayed about it? This makes me feel uncomfortable, reminding me that I can’t do everything under my own strength and that I need to take time out of my busyness to pray for the tasks I need to do. Quite literally to practice what I preach, and the theme of the psalm used today.
Fr. Ron Rolheiser, who writes for the Catholic Herald, says we can recognise God’s voice because it always does two things; ‘it challenges more deeply than any other voice and, at the same time, it offers a deeper consolation than any other voice.’ [1] He goes on to say, ‘When you hear a voice that deeply shakes you and yet, in another way, offers deep hope, a voice that both draws and upsets you, you are hearing a prophetic voice.
Every prophet disturbs, but not everyone who disturbs is a prophet. Fr Rolheiser points out that prophecy is characterised by love, he says “To be a prophet is to love the world and hope that you never have to get angry with it. To be a prophet is to cry tears of love when you are angry. To be a prophet is to get angry only to lead back to love.”
The prophets of the Old Testament are all pointing towards Jesus, they foretell the coming of our King. The author of the letter to the Hebrews knew this well and points this out to his readers. The early Church had to change people’s perceptions and turn the cross from a symbol of shame into a place where shame was overcome by Jesus.
The author in the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus totally disregards the shamefulness of the cross and transforms the cross as a place of shame into a place of victory. We are reminded that we need to continuously work at trying to be as perfect as Jesus; or at least the best we can, in our broken human state.. The writer acknowledges that we are burdened by sin and that sin is persistent as it clings closely to us. However, we have not to allow ourselves to be identified by our sin.
Through our baptism we are identified as Christians. While we are still sinners, we must not let the Accuser trick us into thinking we are any less than Christians. While sin is wrong it does not steal our identity as Christians. When we do sin, we are encouraged to repent and seek reconciliation. Jesus endured the shame of the cross to take away our sins. This sacrifice by Jesus, is meant to energise us in our fight against sin.
We know the Cross was not the end. We know that following the darkness of Good Friday we have the light and joy of Easter Sunday. Death is not the end; Jesus has conquered death and we as followers of Jesus live in the knowledge that Jesus wants us to be like Him. If we can live like the Son of God, then we can have a share of His inheritance.
Don’t allow the accuser to tell us anything different.
Just touching back to our Gospel, Jesus said He would cast fire on the earth.
How is that fire burning in you at the moment?
What is that calling you to do?
There is something happening in the world at the moment. Many people are feeling called to the Church. Some of these people may feel called because of what they see in you. These sparks of interest need to be protected; we need to fan these sparks into life and develop them into flames of faith. Everyone of us has a responsibility to do this.
We will be running classes starting next month to help people to seek Jesus. These classes are for people who are new to the Church and for anyone who wants to develop their faith further. Perhaps you haven’t received all of the Sacraments when you were younger and would like to become full members of the Church. If this is you, or you know someone this applies to, please see me or email me adarroch@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
Please pray for the success of these classes.
Further Reading
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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”
Please keep in your prayers this week
- Those who are sick, housebound or in hospital, that the care they receive matches all of their needs.
- All those on holiday or who are travelling, that they have a safe trip and re-charge their batteries.
- Those waiting for the results of medical tests, examinations or scans, that the results can pinpoint the treatment they may need; or alleviate their fears.
- Those waiting on the results of academic exams, that they may be rewarded for the work they have put in and that whatever the results are they can see the path God wants them to take.
- Our Pastoral Area as we continue to take the first steps towards moving from Maintenance to Mission.
- Peace in the world, and a de-escalation of the situations where war has already commenced or appears to be inevitable.
- Fr Stephen as he prepares to come to the pastoral area and for the parishioners and relationships he leaves behind
- For the ongoing success of the Alpha programme.
- That a way to feed the starving in Gaza can be found that is fair and does not pose a danger to those who are starving or the aid workers.
- Delilah, Miguel, Gabriel and Tochi who will be Baptised at St Bede’s this Sunday.
Deacon Tony
16th August 2025.