Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal July-August 2023

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
4th week psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer 38:4-6, 8-10)
In those days, the officials said to the king: “This man ought to be put to death. He is weakening the resolve of the soldiers who are left in this city and of all the people, by speaking such words to them. This man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their ruin.” King Zedekiah replied: “He is in your hands; the king can do nothing against you.” And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the prison courtyard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. Ebed-melech left the palace and said to the king: “My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, throwing him into the cistern. He will die of hunger there, for there is no more bread in the city.” Then the king gave this order to Ebed-melech the Cushite: “Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.” – The Word of the Lord.

Commentary on the First Reading

Those seized by the restlessness of loving God write pages of hope. Such was the case with Jeremiah, a misunderstood and persecuted prophet. He speaks in God’s name but encounters accusations, resistance, and hardened hearts; failure and defeat seem imminent. Yet God watches over his prophet and providentially saves him from certain death: a foreign slave, upright and compassionate, takes responsibility for his fate and intercedes for his release. Being consistent and speaking in God’s name always creates hostility and conflict around us. The prophets bear witness to this; through their lives they highlight the fact that people do not like being told the truth, especially when it is uncomfortable and exposes the inconsistencies in their lives. To be prophets today, it is not necessary to say particularly extraordinary things. Simply living consistently according to the values in which one believes becomes a silent admonition. This is how conflicts and attempts to silence these authentic voices begin. But we must not give in to fear: God will accomplish his work and will still reach the hearts of many.

SECOND READING

From the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 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 run with perseverance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author 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 hand of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, so 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. – The Word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Second Reading

Following Jesus without carrying the cross is impossible. Those who make the Gospel their rule of life are convinced of this. Instructed by the examples of those who have struggled for the faith, they too fight tirelessly against sin, adhering with complete trust to Jesus crucified and risen, from whom they draw the strength to overcome adversity and move swiftly forward in the good life of the Gospel. Our lives are full of events: some joyful and important, others more ordinary and monotonous, and still others painful. Yet amid this wealth of experiences, we must always keep our destination before us; that is, we must shift our gaze from what we are experiencing to Christ. Only in this way can we persevere in Christian life and achieve true victory in the race. By nature, we fix our gaze on other things, not on Christ. To run with perseverance, we must take our eyes off whatever distracts us from reaching the goal and fix them on Christ. Only by fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ will we be able to face any trial with a determined and steady step.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 12:49-53)
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! I have 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 bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, if a household has five members, they will be divided, three against two and two against three; father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

We often approach the Gospel seeking only a consoling God, support for our desire for a quiet and peaceful life. The Gospel promises the glory of heaven and inner peace; the price, however, is true conversion to Christ, acceptance of the cross as an instrument of salvation, and the willingness and readiness to face trials and persecution. Jesus did not come to create division and quarrels within families, but his coming will inevitably result in division and conflict, because he places people before a fundamental choice: either for him or against him. When faced with the need to make a decision, we know that human beings, created free, respond in different and varied ways. The word of the Lord and his very person bring to light what lies most hidden in the depths of the human heart. The Gospel is not a book of consolations. It is the announcement that we have been loved by God from eternity and that he desires our salvation. It is a call to struggle against sin, evil, and every compromise with them. Jesus’ peace is the fruit of a choice and requires the willingness to put oneself on the line, even to the point of giving one’s life. His message is joyful, but not easy. Welcoming it is grace, and it brings peace.