By Deacon Richard Hay
“Do or don’t – there is no try…”
I have often mentioned how this season we call “ordinary time” is anything but ordinary and today’s gospel from Luke and the words of Jesus shows once again how this season is far from ordinary.
In this moment are we truly ready to absorb and heed what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel?
He begins with the statement: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”
Although fire can be very destructive as we have seen in Hawaii and California in the last couple of years, fire also has a role in renewal. When there is a forest fire, that fire has the potential to destroy everything in its path. However, after some rain and time – new growth starts to push through the layers of dirt and ashes – to give the forest a fresh start.
That is the type of fire Jesus is referring to in the gospel – the fire of renewal but in this case, it is the fire of the Holy Spirit and the rebirth we receive through judgement, purification, and the graces of the sacraments. Christ wants the earth on fire for that purpose – not for destruction.
Then he says this: “Do you think I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
Is this the same Jesus that when asked by a pharisee what was the greatest commandment, Jesus in return answered that “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then he added: the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”?
Jesus talking about division and love – almost seems incompatible, doesn’t it?
Upon first reading this gospel – it does in fact appear to be contradictory to what Jesus has said in other places. However, Jesus wants to stress how important following his will is and so he uses what we know as hyperbole in his statements to others and us through the scriptures.
“Hyperbole” is often used to stress the importance of a particular point or to generate interest in what is being said, and Jesus uses it several times throughout the gospels for that very reason.
In Mark, Chapter 9, he says “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. He, of course, does not intend us to maim ourselves but simply wants us to remove those activities, those things in our lives that cause us to sin. Here is the secret about this – we all know what those things are in our lives – so in reality – at least for ourselves – there is no real secret here.
In Luke, Chapter 6, he talks about wooden beams in our eyes which we do not notice and splinters in our brothers’ eyes that we notice and try to take out. Now, we do not walk around with wooden beams or splinters in our eyes – this is referring to faults that we seem to easily see in others but fail to see in ourselves. Jesus just wants us to take care of our own situation first and then help others, so we are not acting hypocritical.
Over in Mark, Chapter 10, Jesus, when talking to the young man about how to gain eternal life and providing him with what he should do said: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
In response, the young man upon hearing this statement went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus then turned to his disciples and said: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’s point is not about whether a camel can or cannot pass through the eye of a needle – but that taking that extra step to be purely focused on Him is near impossible for many of us. We all often connect with the material goods we qcquire in life but we need to be willing to give it all up to have fidelity with God. The visual makes it more concrete to those listening to understand – that also includes us today – and understand that is what sacrifice is all about. While we might not be called to become a martyr for the faith in the traditional sense of spilling our blood like so many have done before – Jesus does however, call us to make some tough choices about our life – especially those parts that can potentially separate us from his love and salvation.
Jesus also stated the obvious on occasion to make a point in the gospels. Again, in Luke, Chapter 6, he says that “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.” This is all about our ability to bear fruit for God through our actions and it will be one of two things – either good or bad. If we are rooted in the sacraments – then our fruit will be good and pleasing to God.
This brings us back to today’s gospel and what appears to be a very contradicting statement of the Lord’s desire to not only set the world on fire but to also bring division.
In the context of all I have shared so far in this homily, let’s take these bold statements and try to understand what Jesus means by them.
First – do any of us honestly believe Jesus wants to literally burn down the world or to sow division within our families? Of course not because he is the God of love.
The point Jesus is making in today’s gospel is that there is no middle ground for us when it comes to living according to his will – there is no gray area – there is no maybe – it is either yes or no. As Yoda told young Luke Skywaker in Star Wars – “Do or Don’t – there is no try.”
He desires all of us – our entire soul and being to conform to his will. That will not be easy and that is why he is talking about division in the gospel today.
Are we willing to live firm in our faith – no matter what?
Are we ready to be courageous witnesses to the gospel no matter what – even if it means no longer being able to carry on relationships with certain friends or yes – sometimes even a family member?
Living in accordance with God’s will for us means that we must live in “faithful perseverance” even if that means facing opposition from others like Jeremiah did in our first reading when he was dropped into the cistern because those around him did not like the way he lived his life for God.
However, there is a reward for living in this manner as we saw Jeremiah’s rescue from the cistern and certain death – that is God’s deliverance that we can all receive if we but live completely and totally for him in all that we do – even when it is hard – even when it is filled with adversity – even when it is not the popular thing to be doing.
The point Jesus is making using all these dramatic descriptions is to show just how important loving him is – it should be the thing we do at all costs because this life is a short part of our eternal existence. The ways we define this life are temporary – not forever.
Admittedly, that can be and is a tough pill to swallow because we naturally put quite a lot of value into our families and relationships in this life – and we should do that because God built us to be loving creatures, and we are fulfilling that calling in this life.
That is why God gives us the opportunity to have families, marriages, children, grandchildren and friendships.
That is why he calls us to our vocations – to live out his will for us each and every day – even in the face of challenges.
He does not want there to be any misunderstanding of his expectations for each one of us and what it takes – what it requires for us to ultimately live with him for eternity.
That is why we have gospels like today – to help us vividly understand those expectations – so there can be no misunderstanding about what it takes to live in God’s will for us and ultimately live with him in heaven forever.
I would like to close my homily with part of the closing prayer from Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours this morning. It beautifully encapsulates what we have been talking about in this homily:
“God our Father, may we love you in all things and above all things and reach the joy you have prepared for us beyond all our imagining.”
Amen.
