“The Lord heard my cry. He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp; He set my feet upon a crag; He made firm my steps.” (Psalm 40:3)
Reflections on the readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 14, 2022): JER 38:4-6,8-10; PS 40:2,3,4,18; HEB 12:1-4; LK 12:49-53
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
"You are my help and deliverer; O my God, hold not back!" (Psalm 40:18)
All of today’s readings remind us that embracing the will of God is rarely easy for anyone, especially those who try to be most loyal to Him. On the contrary, we learn in the Old Testament passage how the prophet Jeremiah was thrown into a muddy pit to die. Although rescued, he was still imprisoned and finally died in exile. All of this happened because powerful people did not want to hear him accuse them idolatry and of rejecting the will of the Almighty. The 40th Psalm tells us that only God can truly save us from ruin and death. Luke’s Gospel recounts Jesus words about His message of redeeming love will cause great divisiveness between those who believe in Him and those who do not. Even in families, even among those who should love and respect one another, there will be discord.
In the Letter to the Hebrews, all of us who have faith in Christ and attempt to live according to His way are encouraged to stand firm. In the chapter before today’s reading we learn that Abraham, Moses and other men and women remained loyal to God despite the great suffering that it often cost them. These are the faithful we now hear about: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before Him He endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken His seat at the right of the throne of God” (Hebrew 12:1-2). As Christians, we need to do whatever necessary to turn away from our own sins and the temptations that draw us to them. We need to keep a single-minded pursuit of our Lord and His plans for us. Only by trusting in Him and His mercy can we mature in faith and love. In addition, He will show us the way to share our faith and love with others. It is hard to accept that our life will have pain and difficulties. But we need to aim for the joy, the glory, to which He will surely lead us.
Suggested missionary action: Let us ask Christ to help us so that we do may not grow weary and lose heart. Rather, let us ask Him to help turn us away from sin and to increase in faith in Him. With our Lord’s help we can emulate His own fidelity to the Father.
