Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Readings: Jeremiah 38:4-10; Hebrew 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53
Faithful discipleship in the face of existential risk
Dear sisters and brothers,
Every profession has what is known as an occupational hazard. They are the risks and dangers connected with doing a particular job. In the course of my episcopal ministry, I have experienced some of these occupational hazards in the form of public scrutiny, backlash and opposition. These come with the territory, as they say.
The late Pope Francis really inspired me with his example of prophetic courage. It’s a courage rooted in faith and unwavering commitment to God’s truth. His embrace of the vulnerable and outcast in the face of societal rejection and scapegoating demonstrated the depth of his conviction. Whether it was the refugees from Africa, the divorced and remarried, the gender diverse people, the Pope’s solidarity with them often provoked fierce criticism, even from his own flock. It amounted to an existential risk and an occupational hazard.
Scripture today teaches us that in order to be the true follower of Jesus, we must be prepared to suffer for what we stand for. Christian life is not about winning a popularity contest or staying on top of the social ladder. Rather, it is about giving oneself to a greater cause and prioritizing God’s justice in all of our endeavours.
In the first reading, Jeremiah known as ‘the weeping prophet’ because of his lamentations for the sins of Israel, shows his mettle in the face of persecution and adversity. Jeremiah speaks against the movers and shakers who take advantage of the politically unstable and chaotic situation in Israel prior to the Babylonian captivity. He condemns the corruption, moral decay, idolatry, shifting alliances and opportunism in Israel. He speaks truth to power in a way that upsets the status quo and those who benefit from it.
As a result, he was attacked by his own brothers, imprisoned by the king, put into the stocks by the temple priests and thrown into a cistern by the court officials. In today’s episode, he is left to die in a muddy pit. He is saved at the last minutes by the unlikely ally called Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian royal servant. The prophet shows us what it means to live by one’s principle, to have moral courage and to walk the long hard road of fidelity. Authentic discipleship makes us fearless and not fearful in the face of hardship and persecution. It empowers us to live more generously, more trustfully and yet more bravely.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks with passion about his mission and what it means to be his disciple. He presents himself as a quintessential disruptor. “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already”. The fire can only be understood through the prism of his life, death and resurrection. It is the fire of divine energy that emanates from him, burning away all that is evil and radiating God’s love for all humanity and all creation.
Jesus uses very strong images of family divisions to emphasize the importance of authentic discipleship. As a result of following him, father could be divided against the son, mother against daughter… Elsewhere, Jesus employs similar images such as “let the dead bury their dead” or “hating one’s father and mother”. These are part of the language of poetry and hyperbole, designed to provoke and shock the audience out of complacency, apathy and indifference. The litmus test of Christian discipleship is complete fidelity to the cross in the footsteps of the suffering Messiah. This fidelity would cut through biological bloodlines and traditional structures. The disciples must put the cause of the kingdom over above other considerations.
Jesus challenges us as he challenged the disciples to move from the cultural model of power, dominion and self-preservation to the new Kingdom model of service, love and self-sacrifice. The letter to the Hebrews encourages us not to give up for want of courage but to imitate the one who stood firm against opposition. He is the ultimate exemplar of faith, courage and endurance.
Dear friends,
The Word of God today speaks to us about the God who does not let us get away with our propensity towards the comfortable status quo. In Jesus who surrounds himself with the outcast, we see a God of solidarity and vulnerability. In Jesus, we meet a God who disturbs our comfort and who pushes us out to the periphery to be with the least of his brothers and sisters.
Today, in Australia, we may not face a hard choice between our faith and our family or our livelihoods. Nonetheless, Christian discipleship demands our moral courage, integrity and fidelity. May what we celebrate today serve to remind us of our commitment to the vision of Jesus which is to build God’s Kingdom on right relationships, peace, justice and love. Let us go forward in our mission to make a difference in the world, confident of the victory of Christ and his promise to be with us till the end of time.
