Something is Coming; 20th Sunday

Can you can feel it on the wind. Can you feel it on your skin? Something is coming. It will disrupt the way things are. It will be like a blazing fire destroying corruption and injustice before it. Its flames will put to flight greedy princes who in its heat will squabble amongst themselves grasping what remains of their wealth and power.  Hating the purifying fire they point their twisted fingers at those not like themselves shouting “they are not my brother or sister”. This fire, come down from heaven, will consume those wolves who devour the poor, who allow the innocent get gunned down and who turn their backs to the immigrant.  The Spirit says with this fire I will make all things will be made new.

 In the first reading we hear that the corrupt princes of Judah, in the reign of King Zedekiah, hated the prophet Jeremiah. The powerful always hate the prophet. They hate him because he preaches against their infidelity and idolatry, exposes their greed and their ceaseless self-serving corruption. As God said through the Prophet Isaiah to earlier rulers of Israel - Your hands are full of blood. Wash your selves clean. Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes. Cease doing evil, learn to do good. Make justice your aim. Redress the wrong. Hear the orphan’s plea and defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right says the Lord.

 Yes, they hated Jeremiah because he called them on their reliance on wealth, walls and weapons, rather than on God. And in blind rage the princes throw the prophet into a cistern to die. But, this cistern, like their rule, is faulty. It is more mud than water. As Jeremiah languishes in the well the king hears of their rash action and has Jeremiah rescued. Jeremiah knew that standing up against injustice is risky business. Putting God first can be dangerous. It threatens the system of norms and the status quo. Loving God and neighbor goes against the grain. It’s counter cultural. But, to do otherwise is wrong. Woe to us if we do not try.

 When we do stand up against what is clearly wrong and challenge those who abuse power, St Paul tells us do not be afraid, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have lived the Good News by word, deed and life. They cry out there is only one Lord. He is Jesus, the Christ who now seats at the right hand of God the Father.

 St Paul encourages us to preserve in the struggle to make things right, running the race to the end. Let not our eyes be blinded by sweat and tears, but kept, clear and bright, fixed on a Jesus. And so with eyes fixed on Jesus, and the Kingdom of God he proclaimed, we see what needs to be seen, hear what needs to be heard and do what needs to be done. We naturally turn away from disordered wealth and power and towards equality and justice. We gladly turn away from liars and deceivers and their empty promises and towards the Word of life. With eyes fixed on a Jesus we strive to move away from relentless self-fulfillment and towards care and concern for others, including the vulnerable and those most in need. With eyes fixed on Jesus we do not become drowsy in our own comfort and plenty, but we remain vigilant, like servants with lamps lite, awaiting the bridegroom.

The cloud of witnesses remind us that this world-reality is not all there is. They encourage us to never grow weary or lose heart for we surly stand in the pre-dawn light of the Kingdom of God.

 Today’s Gospel is startling. Jesus’ words of fire and a cleansing baptism are signs of his passion, and judgement and the gift of the Spirit. Jesus is the prince of peace, but his peace, the peace of the kingdom does not come cheap. There is a price that must be paid.  As St Francis deSalle says - before establishing peace in any place Jesus first makes war there separating the heart and soul from the self-centeredness and exclusive love of self.

 We sense an urgency in Jesus’ passionate prophetic words.  Clearly there is no time to spare. Already the heat of the fire can be felt because the Kingdom of God is brushing up against the dominions and principalities of man. The peace and security of the powerful is beginning to be disturbed and soon it will become enflamed. In the end it will be consumed. For the Kingdom is unstoppable.

 In its heat sides are being drawn. Jesus is clear, there will be division among people. Between those with and those without. Those at the center and those on the periphery. Those that relay on the structures of power and wealth and those who rely on God. Nations and communities will feel the strain.  Even the household will be divided.  And there will be division within each person as each struggle to choose the better good.

The storms and stress, the cracks and divisions are not the fault of the Kingdom of God breaking into the world, but because the machinery and apparatus of sin, even if old, rusty and brittle, resist ferociously the coming kingdom and because we are comfortable with the old self who is stubborn even unto death.

  The cracks and divisions will be the result of the diverse responses to Jesus’ calling us to change our heart, and to set things right by loving as he loves and by doing what he did, the righteous thing, rather than the easy or profitable thing. (Not all will choose wisely)

 At any given moment we have a choice to make and we must ask ourselves before we answer - does this choice lead to enteral life? We must ask ourselves - is Jesus, his life death and resurrection more compelling, more life affirming then the empty promises of princes, (both political and corporate), the lure of cheap treasure and the false security of exclusion. We must ask ourselves - do I cling to the Word of God or the words of men? We have a choice, (though the world denies it) of choosing the light over the darkness. 

  We are warned. We are concerned, but we are not dismayed.  For we have the cloud of witnesses lifting us up and encouraging us forward. We have the Holy Spirit, who broods over the world, saying to us turn away from the darkness. The Spirit also says there is no need of fear and hatred. No need of guns, and walls, no need of having more then what is necessary, no need to ravage the planet.

Something is coming. Feel its heat. Those with ears must hear and those with eyes must see.