Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time--Liturgical Cycle C

First Reading: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm:Ps40:2,3,4,18
Second Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4
Gospel: Luke 12:49-53


Homily

Some time ago (I forget how long) I was reading in the evening with the TV on at the same time and suddenly the program captured my attention.

The program was entitled Griffin and Phoenix and was subtitled A Love Story. The plot was simple enough: two young people, a man and a woman, unknown to each other, are told by each one’s physician that he and she have terminal, inoperative cancer and have a life expectancy of about one year. They accidentally meet, fall in love, discover each other’s secret and live out their short lives together.

While I didn’t agree with all the moral or ethical aspects of the story, there were some amusing and very human scenes of their doing what they always wanted to do but never had the courage or the time--things like climbing up the town water tower and painting “Class of ’91” or driving two of those amusement park toy cars right off the track and through the county fair crowd!

I suppose what really captured my attention was the poetic treatment of their mental attitudes and process after they had been told of their terminal illness. They went from non-belief to rage, to “I can lick this thing,” to self-pity, to acceptance, to the love of each other and of life here and now. Their whole life priority system changed.

We all have inoperable terminal illness. It’s called humanity. It’s only a small difference in the amount of time that differentiates each of us from the other. Why don’t we, you and I, view everything we do, how we live today, in view of that fact? Why don’t we, as St. Paul suggests today, “lay aside every encumbrance of sin which clings to us and persevere in running the race which lies ahead?…keeping our eyes on Jesus (on the Kingdom).

I like to hear the sayings of Jesus in today’s Gospel as all taking place within me, within my life—that fire, that division, that splitting. The baptism of anguish until it is over which we must all endure, being the wedge that separates what is important (of value, of God’s Kingdom) in my life from what is not of value.

With an eye on the finish line we may very well revise our priorities and that re-evaluation might very well separate us from some disgusting habits, from some “so-called” friends, from some family members, from some recreations and selfish routines. To live the gospel values of God’s Kingdom, we just may become who we really want to be.

--Fr. Pat

Excerpt from
Bringing About the Kingdom, "A Catholic's Companion: Liturgical Cycle C" (c)2000 C. Patrick Creed

Published by Watchmaker Press. Maggie Hettinger, editor