20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 18, 2013
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
The Gospel today is always a little amusing “…a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” It seems that there is always a difficult relationship in families even if the Gospel is not involved. But, on a serious note, as priests we hear all too often the problems that families are having when it come to the faith. Many times it is grandparents who come to the priest lamenting and sometimes weeping about their children who have left the Faith.
The story is almost always the same: “We made sure that our children attended Catholic school and went to Mass each Sunday and now….” It truly breaks their hearts that their children have rejected the Faith that they were raised in. For these grandparents the Faith was the most important thing that they wanted to pass down to their children, and despite all their efforts it appears to be lost.
Preach always
No doubt this does cause tension in the family since the grandparents see the Faith as essential, while their children often do not. The best response that a priest can give to the couple is to follow the words of St. Francis, “Preach the Gospel always, and use words only when necessary.” Their example of love, fidelity, and patience can have a profound effect over time. Also, one should not discount the power of prayer. As in the case of St. Monica, the prayer of a sincere and loving parent can soften the heart of even the hardest sinner, such as Augustine.
It would be a mistake, though, to think that the Gospel is always going to be a uniting factor on this earth. Jesus’ own words warn us that peace is not always the result of preaching the Gospel. Certainly, the Good News brings peace to those who embrace it and helps us to forgive and tolerate others. Yet, Jesus’ words brought anything but peaceful sentiments from the Pharisees and religious leaders of the time. This is because the Gospel convicts us of our sins. It goes against the struggle of concupiscence which we all have inherited from our first parents: our tendency to selfishness, to anger, to lust, and to pride.
Embrace the message
If Jesus is God and professes his message to be “the way and the truth and the life (Jn. 14:6),” then it leaves us with a big decision. Jesus is who he professes to be or he is a liar or crazy or both. We are left with two choices: believe and change, or it is all a farce. The division is always first an interior one. It is a crisis: to embrace the message as truth or not. An answer in the affirmative means that everything changes for us.
Each of us by our Baptism are called to act as priest, prophet, and king. The prophecy is a response to the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Mt. 28:19-20).” The common prophetic vocation means that we live our faith heroically and are willing to share it with others.
Suffering prophet
Jeremiah is the poster boy for the burden of the prophetic office. His entire life is characterized by suffering for the sake of the prophetic word that he must speak. He warns time and time again the people of Judea of the coming exile to Babylon and the urgent need for repentance. Jeremiah’s words are rejected time and again. He is even thrown into the cistern where the first reading tells us, “Jeremiah sank into the mud.” Yet, despite this abuse, Jeremiah remains true to his prophetic call. Eventually, he is taken captive to Egypt and never heard from again. Jeremiah’s message remains to this day, but in his time he was utterly rejected.
Testify to our hope
The message for us is that we must be willing to endure our share of suffering for the Gospel. This does not mean that we have to be street preachers like Jeremiah, but we all must be willing to testify on behalf of the hope that is ours in Christ. We all know that living the faith today will mean being misunderstood and at times ridiculed. We should accept this with humility and pray for those who persecute us. Then, like Jeremiah, we will leave behind a legacy of faithfulness which will have an effect on generations to come. For divisions are things of this life, and the next life will bring healing and unity to all who seek God with a sincere heart.