August 14th - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Jer 38:4-6, 8-10; Heb 12:1-4; Lk 12:49-53)
The story of Jeremiah and the cistern is a prophetic image of Christ in the tomb. He goes down into the cistern in disgrace and later is drawn back up and vindicated. This incident occurred because Jeremiah was hated by the leaders of his time for indicting the last several kings of Judah for their abandonment of the Lord in their dealings over their eventual conquest by the Babylonian empire. He was very much a “political prisoner.”
Paul's letter to the Hebrews contains several wonderful images for our inspiration. One is running a race for glory in the sight of a “cloud of witnesses” made up of saints from the past. We can imagine this same cloud of witnesses present at every sacrifice of the mass that we attend. They are watching us, cheering us on, applauding our devotion, and helping us maintain as sense of awe in the presence of the Lord. This thought helps keep us focused if our minds start wandering during the mass. Another image is the vivid portrayal of the suffering Christ, who, in keeping with the “run the race” analogy, is our beloved coach who has been there before us and wants to bring out the best in us.
In the Gospel Jesus reveals a zeal that is quite different from his usually restrained discourse. In the Gospel passage we see how deeply Jesus desires salvation for all, using the image of a fire blazing across the earth like a violent revolution, bringing division where necessary. This is an image of a Jesus deeply invested in bringing about salvation. St. Thomas Aquinas notes that zeal is proportionate to the intensity of love, and the love of true friendship creates a zeal that energetically repels anything that might harm one’s friend. From Jesus, who has made us his friends and loved and defended us from death, we can learn to love him zealously in return.