Fresh Dew Media

 20^th Sunday Year C: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

The Gospel of Christ: a message that overthrows the peace of the graveyard

Readings: Jer 38:4-6,8-10; Heb 12:1-4; Lk 12:49-53

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today's gospel presents some of the most challenging statements made by Jesus: two sayings that would be hard to accept as originating from Him if not properly interpreted. They are as follows: "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled.” "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division."

We are all aware that our Lord Jesus is the prince of peace. On the night of His birth, the angels who appeared to the shepherds proclaimed the beginning of the reign of peace on earth. They sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of goodwill." Throughout His teachings, Jesus emphasized peace, particularly in the beatitudes, where He stated, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." On the numerous occasions He appeared to his disciples after His resurrection, He greeted them with 'peace be with you’. Thus, it becomes quite challenging to comprehend how this God of peace would assert that He has come not to bring peace but division within familial relationships and that He has come to cast fire upon the earth.

A misunderstanding of these sayings of Jesus by certain Christians has resulted in unnecessary divisions and issues among family members, various churches, and communities; it has also caused some individuals to adopt prayer patterns that cannot be classified as Christian. While some of these Christians perceive prayer as invoking fire upon all their adversaries, some others take pride in distancing themselves from the positive actions that others are undertaking in society.

Therefore, the Church urges us to comprehend the significance of these two challenging sayings of Jesus to avoid aligning with those who misinterpret them. When Jesus stated that He has come to cast fire upon the earth, He meant that He has come to proclaim a gospel that will dismantle the structures of evil in the world like fire, that His gospel will not reinforce the status quo of evil within human communities or societies, but rather, it will incinerate them like fire. This is the kind of gospel message that Jesus has entrusted to us. This is the call we have received from Jesus as Christians. Our mission is to confront and oppose the dominion of evil and the moral decadence of our world with the message of the gospel. The authentic gospel of Christ does not remain passive where evil flourishes, and a genuine Christian does not stay silent where evil is endorsed.

Whenever this type of gospel, which has the power to eradicate evil and challenge malevolent policies and teachings, is proclaimed, it inevitably leads to attacks and divisions from those aligned with evil. Dear friends, wherever the message of Christ is preached, it shakes the foundation of the false sense of peace that the world often promotes, because the peace offered by Christ is fundamentally different from the peace the world gives. The peace of Christ is characterized by love, justice, equality, and equity, fostering the reign of goodness. In contrast, the peace of the world is often like the peace of a graveyard. In a graveyard, there is an appearance of silence, serenity, and tranquillity; however, those interred in it are subject to the ravages of decay, being consumed by worms and suffering from the effects of time. The graveyard seems peaceful simply because the deceased cannot voice their suffering. The world sometimes misinterprets this silence of the graveyard as true peace. Frequently, the locations deemed peaceful by society are so only because those enduring injustice, marginalization, and deprivation are unable to speak out against their plight, or they are threatened by forces that would harm them if they dared to raise their voices. Jesus did not come to establish the kind of peace that permits silent suffering and the continuation of injustice. Instead, he brings forth a peace that will dismantle the false peace of the world, overthrowing all structures of injustice and the wicked one.

It is, therefore, the responsibility of every Christian to promote the peace of Christ throughout the world. We are called to achieve this by confronting erroneous teachings regarding morality, sexuality, justice, humanity, and so forth, using the gospel of Christ. However, fostering the peace of Christ on earth may require swimming against societal currents, which can result in persecution. This was the case of Jeremiah in the first reading. Jeremiah stood against the evil present in his city during King Zedekiah's reign. He used the word of God to challenge the reign of evil and condemned his fellow prophets who preached solely about prosperity without urging the people to repent from their wrongdoing.

Jeremiah was aware of the repercussions of his actions, yet he remained steadfast. The second reading of today encouraged us to be resilient like Jeremiah and to persist in our battle against sin and evil, even if it entails sacrificing our lives in this struggle. This second reading encourages us to consistently fix our gaze on Jesus as we combat sin and evil. Fixing our gaze on Jesus means not being discouraged. If we fix our gaze on Jesus, He will not let us down. When Jeremiah was imprisoned and cast into the cistern, God did not forsake him but rescued him from that pit.

The psalm for today is a hymn of praise to God, who will not forsake us to the power of our adversaries, but will consistently deliver us. It states, “I waited, waited for the Lord, and he stooped down to me; he heard my cry. He drew me from the deadly pit, from the miry clay. He set my feet upon a rock, made my footsteps firm.” (Ps. 40:1-2)

Let us pray that God will continue to keep us safe when people rise against us for speaking against evil in society.

Peace be with you. Have a blessed Sunday

Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima.