19/08/2007 - 20th SUNDAY in O. T.
- Year C
First Reading Jeremiah 38: 4-6; 8-10 Psalm 40
Second Reading Hebrews 12: 1-4 Gospel Luke 12: 49-53
"Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus!" It is the exhortation addressed to us today. The eyes fixed on Jesus while we are going on a painful way; painful because we are always burdened with sin; our own sin, those of our brethren or of the whole world. We are busy every day with our job, with relationship with others; with problems or troubles concerning our health, the health of someone of our family; with any kind of trouble. And by all these various occupations we are confused and disconcerted; we are not able to answer clearly questions that are coming to us in moments of peace and calm. Questions like Why am I here? What is the sense of all my stresses and troubles? Where will I arrive? keep your eyes fixed on Jesus! This glance will be an answer to all our questionings; our why's, our how's, our when's etc. and why will this glance bring an answer? Because Jesus "is the author of our faith and brings it to perfection". This faith is the necessary gift in order to complete our life. And our faith has a continuous need of Jesus. When we have a glance on Him we are resenting in a special way the sufferings He endured without complain; on the contrary accepting them willingly.
Jesus did not wish or want sufferings as if they are something good or positive
by themselves; but because He knew that His obedience to the Father had to go
also through this way. We know first of all the prophecies of Isaiah predicting
the sufferings of God's Servant, who is giving His life for the iniquities of
mankind and of ourselves. Jeremiah was a prophet by his own suffering. Today
first reading shows us one of these sufferings, when he was persecuted. The
Word of God he had to proclaim was in clear opposition with the diplomatic and
economic convictions of the leaders in Jerusalem. For this reason he has been
throw in jail, and without the intervention of one of the servants of the ding
he was going to die by starvation.
Jesus knew these prophecies and He knew also that He had to realize them. For
this reason He says, in today's Gospel reading, "I have a baptism to receive;
what anguish I feel till it is over". He is considering baptism as a kind
of passage through terrible sufferings, of refuse, i.e. being refused, and a
passage through death. He knew it has to be, and the fact of waiting causes
for Him a kind of impatience. This moment will be a very painful hour, like
the blaze of a big fire of purification. His death will be the judgement of
the world, it is compared to a fire; those who will be with Him will see the
light, the joy and peace, as it was the case with the good robber, crucified
with Jesus. But those who deny Him or despise Him will participate in the fate
of the rich man in the blaze. Those who welcome and accept Jesus like their
saviour will be saved; on the contrary those who want to save themselves with
their own religious practices and rites, or by their own goodness, will remain
where they are, in the condemnation reserved for the world.
Everyone in front of Him has to take position, and this will never be easy, because even in our own home and family there will be misunderstandings and hostilities. Thus the Christian believer is taking part in Christ's mission in the salvation of the world through His suffering and death, and he will also pass through the blaze kindled by Jesus in the world. Jesus invites us to be vigilant, to know how to discern the times in which we are living. Our times and ages too are times of His blaze and His baptism. Our faith is despised openly, and in may places the Christians have not the possibility to manifest their faith as disciples of Christ. Il they do it they will have the fate of Jeremiah and of the Lord.
Thus, let us prepare ourselves to suffer for our faith, to live in unity with
our brothers, to pray and love together the God's Word, keeping always our eyes
fixed on Jesus!