TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
18 AUGUST 2019
The
Letter to the Hebrews uses the image of a stadium filled with fans watching a
race. We can imagine the runners getting
ready to run – stretching their bodies, focusing their attention on the race ahead,
and trying to handle their nervous energy.
They are encouraged by the fans cheering and urging them to keep their
eyes finished on the prize at the finish line.
Last
Sunday, the author of this same letter introduced us to Abraham and his
descendants as models of faith. Their
example encourages us in our faith.
Today, he insists that all of these witnesses who have crossed the
finish line are literally cheering us on as we encounter our own obstacles in
our race to the finish line. That is why
we always end the preface at every Mass with these words: “And so, with the company of Angels and
Saints, we sing the hymn of your praise, as without end we acclaim.” We do not sing the Sanctus alone. We sing it with that great crowd of witnesses. They are present with us at every Mass,
cheering us on to persevere and to endure whatever hardship to keep our eyes
fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.
Jesus
himself speaks of that role in his instructions today to his disciples, which
includes you and me. We have been
immersed into the waters of Baptism.
That is why our Baptismal Font helps us to understand the reality of
baptism. We who are immersed into those
waters are immersed into his death. When
we emerge from those waters, we emerge to share in his life. He talks about his role of setting the world
on fire. The divine fire of God’s love
purifies those who embrace his message.
But that same fire judges those who turn their backs on his love. Jesus is talking about being immersed into
his suffering and death. On his way to
Jerusalem, he speaks of that baptism with anguish. But he also keeps his eyes on the finish
line, trusting that the Father will raise him from the dead and bestow the gift
of peace in the glory of his resurrection.
As we
continue to run the race and grow more fully in our faith, we know the peace
that comes from our efforts to share in the Lord’s passion. But we also know that pain of division when
we speak or live the truth of our baptism.
The prophet Jeremiah knew that pain in an acute way. God sent him to speak the truth to the king
and his advisors that they should surrender to the Babylonians. The king and his advisers did not want to
hear that truth and accused Jeremiah of sedition. They threw him into the cistern, and he sank
into the mud of their hatred.
If we live
and speak the truth of our baptism, we will also encounter opposition. The truth given to us by Jesus Christ often
conflicts with the truth spewed by our culture.
If we embrace the sanctity of all human life from the moment of
conception through natural death, then we will go against the notion that life
is disposable and can be subjected to our will.
We can get caught up in the complicated argument about immigration and
can forget that these immigrants are made in the image of God and deserve
respect. If we believe that the most
important aspect of life is to persevere in faith, then we go against the
common perception that power and wealth are the ultimate goals in life.
When we run
into these obstacles, we need to remember that there is that great crowd of
witnesses who are cheering us on. We see
the image of some of them in our Triumphal Arch. All of them know the purifying fire of God’s
love. All of them have been completely
purified as they surround the throne of God.
As we continue our race, we cannot make the same mistake of the enemies
of Jeremiah and Jesus. We cannot throw
them into the mud of our resentment and anger.
Instead, we need to treat those with whom we disagree with respect,
offering them the fire of purification, and not the fire of judgment.
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