20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 12:49-53) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Aug 18
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - Jer 38:4-6, 8-10
“Take three men with you, and get Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah
4 Then the princes said to the king, “This man ought to be put to death. He is weakening the resolve[a] of the soldiers left in this city and of all the people, by saying such things to them; he is not seeking the welfare of our people, but their ruin.” 5 King Zedekiah answered: “He is in your hands,” for the king could do nothing with them. 6 And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, in the court of the guard, letting him down by rope. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
8 and Ebed-melech went there from the house of the king and said to him, 9 “My lord king, these men have done wrong in all their treatment of Jeremiah the prophet, throwing him into the cistern. He will starve to death on the spot, for there is no more bread in the city.” 10 Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: “Take three men with you, and get Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
SECOND READING - Heb 12:1-4
"Let us persevere in running the race that lies before us."
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us[b] and persevere in running the race that lies before us 2 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. 3 Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
TIN MỪNG: Lk 12:49-53
"You think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, but rather division.
✠From the Gospel according to Luke
49 “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! 50 [a]There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; 53 a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 12:49-53)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
The Word of God in today's Gospel speaks about the journey of faith of those who follow Jesus Christ.
Before discussing the journey of faith of those who follow Jesus, He desires to talk about His own life. Jesus came down to earth to become a human being, and He threw the fire of love into the world. His heart yearned for that fire to burn until it was completed.
Only from God can grace and the fire of love be bestowed upon all mankind. Only the fire of love from God can erase the temptations of Satan that are attacking and stealing souls. Only the fire of love can burn away sins, passions, hatred, jealousy, and injustice. For the fire of love to burn in the soul of each person, Jesus Christ Himself must humble Himself to become human, suffer, die, and rise again to atone for the sins of mankind, to save souls from the captivity of Satan and death.
God also revealed that in order to attain glory, one must pass through the cross, just as Jesus Christ—who is God—had to endure suffering to enter into His glory. Now, God calls His prophets to follow the example of Jesus Christ's life: to undergo persecution, condemnation, and even death, thereby completing the journey of faith in following Him.
The journey of faith of today's prophets is similar to that of the prophets of old. Like Jeremiah, he also had to go through many difficulties, persecution, condemnation, and plots to kill him. Still, because of his loyalty to God, he persisted in preaching and speaking the Word of God to everyone, hoping to save many souls for God.
In today's era, God continues to call His prophets and His children to faithfully follow the path of the cross to reach glory, even though they must endure persecution, condemnation, and opposition from their own family members. "But take heart and do not be afraid! Because when you follow God, Satan will not leave you alone. They will find every way to divide, tempt, and incite your loved ones to oppose God and against your beliefs.” But God says that whoever perseveres and remains faithful to the end will attain the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who are being opposed for the sake of God's name will be at peace and have faith in Him. God will always be with, accompany, support, and protect the journey of faith for those who faithfully follow God. May everyone be at peace and happily move forward on the journey of faith following God, on the pilgrimage to the Father's house in heaven. Do not be afraid. Have the courage to choose God above all things. Sacrifice, give up all the things of the world to have God, to have the Kingdom of Heaven. For the purpose of human life is to hope to achieve a peaceful and happy life in the Kingdom of Heaven in the hereafter, not the temporary false peace brought on by the world.
God always loves people; He did not want to lose any souls. Therefore, God always invites everyone to go through the narrow gate to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This includes renunciation, sacrifice, humility, self-abasement, loving God above all things, and loving others as yourself. Be faithful to follow God on the journey of faith and practice living according to the teachings of God the Father. Then you will receive the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven in the future.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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