20th Sunday - Fr. Leo
In our first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord rescues him from death. Though cast in a dark well of mud, Jeremiah is brought into the light by the grace of God. Our psalm today could be his rejoicing. “You are my help and deliverer; Oh my God, hold not back.”
Faith is a challenge when we are asked to believe in God’s goodness when we feel like everything is against us. It is like telling the depressed person, “be happy, God loves you.” The struggle is real, yet we are called to hold Jesus’ memory in our hearts and trust in his Spirit even in the darkness and muddiness of life. Our second reading encourages this kind of faith.
The gospel today doesn’t appear very consoling. Jesus wants to light a fire and predicts division even in the heart of the family. Why this division? What is its cause? From a broader perspective I understand the turmoil to be part of the conversion process. As individuals our old ways must die if we want to move forward. Families and groups need to do the same, but some resist healthy change and the more resistance there is to change, the more violent the response to conversion’s call.
If you try working with someone who is suffering from addiction and they aren’t ready to change, you may encounter a surprising amount of rage. All their defenses come into play and you are the bad guy. Our conflicts may not all be major either. We may have a long history of letting people take advantage of us. Here, we need to change and that change may not go over well with those who took advantage of us in the past.
As we follow Christ and encounter darkness in us and around us, it is our faith in the endless love of God that gives us hope to endure and to trust that in time, Christ ’s light will dispel our darkness. This is the Kingdom we pray for every day asking God to help us move deeper into the light of his love now and forever in eternity.