A Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, August 17, 2025
Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53
Audio Recording
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says something surprising: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” We usually picture Him as the Prince of Peace, calming storms and bringing comfort. Yet here He speaks of fire, anguish, and even division in families.
The fire Jesus longs to cast on the earth is not destruction but the fire of the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, tongues of fire came down on the apostles, filling them with courage and joy. But before that could happen, Jesus had to undergo His own baptism—the suffering and death of the Cross. Only then would the Spirit’s fire descend on the Church.
This fire has two effects. For those who open their hearts, it is a fire of love, purification, and strength. For those who resist, it becomes a fire of judgment. No one can remain neutral when confronted with Christ.
We see this in the first reading. Jeremiah spoke God’s truth, but the leaders accused him of discouraging the people. They threw him into a cistern, where he sank into the mud. His faithfulness brought him rejection. Yet God did not abandon him. A foreigner intervened and saved him. God raised up a helper when Jeremiah was at his lowest point. Jeremiah could then pray with the psalmist: “He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp.”
Many of us know what it feels like to be in the “cistern.” We may have faced loneliness, ridicule, or illness that weighed us down. Like Jeremiah, we may feel stuck. But also like him, we know God never abandons His people. He always sends grace, sometimes through surprising people.
The Letter to the Hebrews encourages us to persevere: “Let us run the race, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” The Christian life is not easy. It requires endurance. But as we look back over the years, we see that God has carried us through. Times when we thought we could not go on, He gave us strength.
Jesus Himself endured the Cross, enduring its shame for the joy of saving us. And we are not alone in our race. We are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses”—the saints and martyrs who testify that suffering is not the end, but the way to victory.
Yet Jesus also tells us today that His message will sometimes divide—even families. This may be the hardest cross of all. Some of you know the pain of children or grandchildren who have drifted from the Church. Others have experienced disagreements at home about faith. Jesus does not want these divisions, but He speaks the truth: when some accept Him and others reject Him, conflict arises.
The challenge of Christian life is that Jesus commands us to share the Good News, even when it is difficult, He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” He does not say, “Do this only when it is easy” or “Only when people welcome you.” No, He calls us to proclaim the Gospel “in season and out of season.” That means we continue to live and share the faith, even when it costs us.
Sometimes that means speaking with a family member about faith. Sometimes it means offering encouragement to someone who feels far from God. Often it simply means giving witness by our lives—showing patience, kindness, and forgiveness. Even a small word or act of faith can plant a seed that God will cause to grow in His time.
The fire of Christ cannot be extinguished. It still burns in the Church, in each of its members. That means you and I…all of us! Like Jeremiah, we may find ourselves in the mud. Like the apostles, we may feel afraid. But the Spirit who descended at Pentecost lives in us through baptism and confirmation. That fire gives us courage, even in weakness, even when the world resists.
So let us not be afraid to let the fire of the Holy Spirit burn brightly and intensely in our lives. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. And let us remain faithful to His command to share the Good News. The fire He brings is not a fire that destroys—it is a fire of love that saves. And if we endure to the end, we will share in His victory and the peace of His eternal Kingdom.
God bless you.