Fr Marco Lazzaron
eremiah lives in a very difficult time for Jerusalem, with besiegers at the gates and the specter of famine, and he tries to lead the people, first and then the commanders, to reasonable decisions to preserve the most precious asset: their own life and that of their country.
The pride of the leaders (both political and religious) denies the prophet’s words to the point of leading him to death, even against the will of the king.
Jesus then seems to double down with truly fiery words, announcing division and strife even between brothers, between father and son, between mother and daughter, and does not hide his anguish for the Baptism of blood that awaits him.
The division and fire Jesus speaks of are not destroyers but creators of new life in the choice of love and not sterile custom. Sometimes our pride, or habit, or fear of judgment from “our own people”, ideology, current culture, or the fear of losing our position, prevent us from seeing injustice with the eyes of our heart and from realizing that where we least expect it, there is hope, and help comes from those we least consider. The fear of risking losing our certainties prevents us from acting for justice and good, perhaps hiding behind the famous phrase: “What can I do alone?”
Often, for the sake of a quiet life, to avoid going against “our own”, we renounce decisions that our conscience, or rather, the Spirit, prompts us to make deep in our hearts. However, if we follow the voice of the Spirit, we may find ourselves misunderstood by our own family members, faced with painful breakups and harsh judgments, forced to choose between the good our conscience suggests and the relationship pre-established by human convention.
This is the division that Jesus presents to us and asks of us to truly be his disciples! The choice is often between those who don’t need us and those who, even if outside our circle, need what we can do at that moment! And we cannot hide behind the worry of “What can I do alone?” But by abandoning pride, we can seek help from those who can do more than we do, making ourselves available for whatever little or much we can do ourselves. This is perhaps the fire Jesus speaks of!
For our reflection:
– How many opportunities to do good, even small things, have we missed by thinking we can’t influence others?
– Are we able to trust the men and women we meet without being influenced by their appearance, their ethnicity, or their social position?