Homily: Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 2: 49-53)

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 2:49-53) “Necessary Division”

“I have come to set the earth on fire.”  The words we read in today’s Gospel are disconcerting.  Jesus speaks of how his message will cause division.  All this is in contrast with what he says in other places in the Gospel.

        In the Gospel of Matthew (12:25). Jesus observes, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.”  In the Gospel of John Jesus states, “I pray Father that they may be one as we are one.”  Jesus’ message seems to be consistent.  He wants unity in the world.  We are to love our enemies.  We are to forgive others.  Why does Jesus feel his teaching will bring division? 

        Prophets have been a threat to those who govern unfairly throughout the centuries.  Prophets haven’t led armies.  Nor have they encouraged violence.  All they’re usually armed with is a message of peace and justice.  Justice, unfortunately, can be scary to those who want to hold onto power at all costs.  Proclaiming the need for justice can have harsh consequences.  

        The Prophet Jeremiah, for example, was thrown into a cistern as he preached in Jerusalem.  The city was under siege.  The Babylonians were at gates.  Food and water were running low.  King Zedekiah wanted advice from Jeremiah.  But mostly he wanted to hold on to his throne .  He couldn’t make up his mind whether to surrender the city or not.  Jeremiah advises surrender to avoid terrible bloodshed.

        Jeremiah is dropped into a cistern for telling soldiers their resistance was futile.  A cistern is a well, used to collect rainwater.  All that was in the cistern that Jeremiah was thrown into was mud.  For stating the obvious, Jeremiah ended up standing in mud up to his waste in a dank, dark cistern. 

Jeremiah’s story can remind us of our country right now.  We have all kinds of turmoil.  We hear accusations and counter accusations from the political parties.  Rebellion is even espoused by some.  We know all this division could lead to some terrible consequences.  Democracy itself seems to be at stake.  Meanwhile justice appears to be caste into cisterns.  We might ask, is trying to find the facts worth it?  Many people just ignore news because world events are too disturbing.  Prophets, who proclaim peace and justice, have paid a heavy price through history.  Even those that would seem to have little power.

        One could be reminded of the story of Blessed Jakob Gapp.  Gapp was born in 1897 in Austria.  He was a soldier in WWI.  He was so brave he won the Silver Medal of Courage.  After the war Jakob Gapp joined the Marianist Fathers.  He was ordained in 1930.  He taught in various schools.  He seemed like he would spend his life being a high school teacher.  When the Nazis came to power he began to teach and preach about how the Nazi ideology was incompatible with Christianity.  Gapp was sent to Tyrol.  It became known that he wouldn’t greet others with “Heil Hitler.”  Nor would he wear a Nazi badge.  He taught his students to love all people regardless of race or religion, for this, he was barred from teaching religion.

        In 1939 he was advised to go to France.  Later his superior sent him to Spain to protect him.  But the Nazis followed his movements.  An unarmed priest was considered a threat to the state.  While Gapp worked in a parish in Spain, two Nazi agents posing as Jewish men approached him asking for Baptism.  Jakob Gapp was lured into France by the men where he was arrested.  He was taken to Berlin.  He was tried.  His resolve while being interrogated prompted Heinrich Himmler to comment that if the Nazis had one man as dedicated to their cause as Gapp they would win the war.  Jakob Gapp was beheaded, and his body was given away for experimentation so that it would be destroyed.  The Nazis wanted no memory of him to survive.

        Gapp said once, “Wherever I am, I would hope to be open and honest.”  Following that philosophy cost him his life.

        How can we tell who the true prophets are?  One sure measure is that people like Jesus, Jeremiah and Jakob Gapp had little concern for their careers or even their lives.  The preeminent concern is to proclaim God’s message which is at its core, the message of peace and justice.

Reflection Questions:

1.  Is there a famous prophet I admire?   Who are they?

2.  Why do corrupt people in power fear truth?  How did Jesus end up dividing people?

Dear Parishioners,

        Parking around the church is going to be a little more challenging in the weeks to come.  We are presently negotiating with the city so that we might keep an open lane on 17th Avenue.  We are going to be erecting fencing that will keep children from straying into truck traffic.  The staging area for the building is where the playground normally is for Seton School.  The grade school playground will be limited to the parking lot north of the church between the Lee Center and the grade school.  The junior high will play outside on 17th Avenue. The street will be blocked.  All this is being negotiated with the city.

        The good news is that a lot of activity will be happening over the next few weeks.  Walls and trusses will be brought to the building site and our new addition will start taking shape. 

        The other piece of good news is that 17th Avenue should now drain properly in front of the Junior High, especially in the wintertime when there is snow. This has been an ongoing problem and a safety hazard. 

        Let’s continue to ask St. Damien to intercede for those who are working on our building and for those who are doing the planning. He is the patron of our building project.

        May Our Lady watch over us and bring healing to our troubled country.

        Fr. Mark