| Readings: | Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10 Hebrews 12:1-4 Luke 12:49-53 |
| Date: | August 17, 2025 - Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C |
A long time ago I used to think that my Catholic faith should provide clear unequivocal answers to the major questions of life. While I still think that is true at some level, I have found that if we look at life here in this world through the eyes of our faith, instead of seeing clear uncomplicated answers, we see a series of tensions. This is one of the reasons that Catholicism is often called a "Both And" faith as opposed to an "Either Or" one. For example. our understanding of what Jesus did by becoming a human being, suffering, dying, and rising is an example of this kind of tension. From the very beginning of his public ministry, Jesus proclaimed that the reign of God was at hand, that the kingdom of God was established by his living and dying. But at the same time, it is not yet here fully. As Catholics, we believe that it is only through God's saving action that we are redeemed but we are called to live out that faith through actions that have redemptive power. This is expressed in our Catholic beliefs on penance, purgatory, and indulgences. There is the tension between our acknowleging that because Jesus redeemed us, our destiny is not in this imperfect world, but in eternal joy with God yet we are called to be stewards of this world, to use the gifts God has given us to make this world a better place, not just pass through it like a tourist.
Today's readings focus on another of these tensions. On the one hand Jesus assures us that he comes to bring us peace, his peace he leaves with us. He calls those who are weary and burdened to come to him for his yoke is easy and his burden light. His most fervent prayer to the Father is that we might be one with him and each other as he is one with the Father. On the other hand, he has come to light a fire on the earth that will cause generations in the same family to take sides against each other, that will cause great discomfort and pain. So instead of giving us black and white answers, our faith shows us that living life involves achieving a balance between all these tensions. Of course it helps us to understand today's Gospel to remember that we are dealing with two kinds of peace: the peace that the world gives which is fundamentally a temporary truce or ceasefire, and the peace that Jesus offers us with is a lasting, radical peace of being in right relationship with God. Jesus' words in today's Gospel tell us that to get from one to the other will require what he refers to as baptism by fire.
The image I used to have of peace was sort of floating lazily on a calm lake, with a gentle breeze, blue skies, no pressures, no deadlines, no bills to pay. Then at some point I read a great quote in a book by the Jesuit monk Thomas Barry. He quotes an anthropologist named Alfred Kroeber as saying that the ideal condition for anybody is not "bovine placidity" but living at the highest level of tension that the person can handle creatively. This echoes what Jesus is telling us in today's readings. If you live out your faith in this unfinished world, it is bound to create divisions and tensions. As I look back on my life, almost all of the growth I have experienced has been accomplished in the context of discomfort, or tension. The few times when I experienced bovine placidity were times of rest, of gathering up strength to go forward. As I thought about the times that I have experienced growth in the midst of struggle, I though about deciding to become a deacon. At the time that I started to feel that I had a vocation to be a deacon, I had reached a certain level of success in my career, in my family, and even in the parish here. So one the one hand, I felt there was a certain pressure to relax and enjoy the fruits of that success. The idea of entering into a four year formation program and then active ministry as a deacon in addition to a very busy job and family life generated all sorts of division and tension in my family. My wife Betsy and I, and the two older kids and I, had more than one discussion about it, some of them quite heated. As I look back on it now, I know that I grew because of the way we handled that division and tension.
I hope these readings today inspire us to look at the tensions in our lives as opportunities for growth. Part of the fire that Jesus has lit on this earth is the Spirit who will give us the grace to handle any tension with creativity. The Spirit will also guide us to recognize things in our life that we need to let go if, to burn away from us. We should also let Jesus' words be a warning to us. I think it is pretty safe to say that a faith lived out in this world, especially in this society of ours will cause tension and conflict. If we are really comfortable in our faith, it may be a sign that we are not living it as fully as we should. We need to be careful that we have not unwittingly switched our allegiance from the God who has lit a fire in the world to that god of bovine placidity.
Peace be with you all. The peace that Christ brings.