Fr. Gabriel AZEEZ

Grace and peace to you my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Today is the 20th Sunday in ordinary time, year C. Jesus, in today’s Gospel, sounds like someone who is ready to shake things up: “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!” This is not the gentle, sweet Jesus, meek and mild we often imagine. Instead, this is the passionate, mission-driven Jesus who wants the world to be transformed by the fire of God’s love and truth even if it causes discomfort, even if it disturbs our comfort zones.

So many of us are thrilled by the Gospel reading of today. In our minds, we are filled with joy and satisfaction on hearing the priest reading it, particularly the phrase that states there will be divisions, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, father against son etc. In our minds, we are very comfortable and we feel at peace with the war reigning in our families or with one another. In our minds, the Gospel has given us a justification to be at war with one another. In our minds, we are happy by the fire Jesus said he has come to cast. Some of us will say’ ah! Finally, even Jesus said there will be division, so why should I advocate for peace.  However, my dear beloved in Christ, this reflection you are about to digest will disappoint you.

The fire Jesus is casting is not the fire of enmity, it is not a fire of discord especially with one another, rather, it is a fire that burns with the propagation of the faith and standing for the truth irrespective of the discomfort it brings to you or to those who you meet.

This is beautifully captured in the first reading with the ordeal of Jeremiah who because of speaking the truth faced life threatened persecution. May I ask you my brothers and sisters; how do we feel when our faith is threatened or shaken because we speak the truth? How do we react to opposition on account of the Gospel in our homes, places of work, school, and market places? It is often said that “anyone who says the truth to the community is hated by the community.” So it is with our world today, the readings are reminding us of the pains that come with the gospel, the discomforts that comes with those who serve God in truth and spirit because in all honesty, standing for the Gospel will put you at loggerheads with the world, friends and even your immediate family.

Little wonder why Jesus hit the nail on the head by stating the division that will arise amongst family members on account of him. For parents, have your attempted to correct a bad lifestyle of your child and ended in serious arguments? Has your child not reacted with fury, accusing you of being judgemental and hateful? In contrast, how do you as a parent feel when your child corrects you about the type of work you do to earn money? When your son musters the courage to confront you as a father not to beat his mother? You may even go to the point of disowning him. All these are divisions on account of the Gospel because Jesus does not promise us comfort, rather, he promises companionship take up your cross and follow me (Matt 16:24)

The readings, especially the second, call us to a radical choice of faith, a loyalty that pits righteousness against sin in an ongoing struggle. As Christians, we are witnesses of the Gospel and must lay aside every burden and sin that clings to us. This demands purging ourselves of habits and lifestyles that undermine the faith we profess. Such purification is also a “division,” a conscious separation from evils like lying, cheating, hatred, and discord, while keeping our eyes on Jesus, who never abandons us in trials. The challenge remains: do we carry His fire in our hearts, or have we settled for a lukewarm, risk-free faith? May the Lord ignite in us a fire that purifies, transforms, and gives light to the world, so that one day, when He looks at the earth, He will find it blazing with the warmth of His love.