Homily for Thursday, Week 29 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
29th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 24, 2024
Luke 12: 49-53
Missionaries of Charity, Bronx

In this morning’s gospel, Jesus makes 2 points.  1st, he wants to set the world on fire, and he’ll do that thru his baptism.  2d, he’ll cause division in families.

St. Patrick lights the Paschal fire
for the 1st time in Ireland

Jesus’ baptism is his passion.  He spoke of that just last Sunday in his dialog with James and John (Mark 10:35-40).  God’s love so evidenced fires human hearts to love God and to extend God’s love to others—which is what Mother Teresa, and indeed all the saints, did so well.

Jesus’ purpose, of course, isn’t division.  But when hearts are fired with his love, that stirs up opposition, as in his own case, which Isaiah foretold in the prophecies of the Suffering Servant, and Simeon when Jesus was presented in the Temple:  “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed” (Luke 2:34).  It continues to happen in history, especially in the lives of the saints.  The early virgin martyrs like Agnes aroused family opposition by their dedication to Christ.  Elizabeth Seton was disowned by most of her family and her deceased husband’s family when she converted to Catholicism.  Thomas Aquinas’s family locked him up to try to block his vocation to the Dominicans (obviously, he escaped).  John of the Cross’s confreres imprisoned him because he was reforming the Carmelites (some brothers!).  Today’s saint, Anthony Claret, dodged an assassination and was compelled to resign as archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, because of his attempts to reform the archdiocese.

Committing ourselves to Christ warms our hearts and empowers us to worship God our Father and do good for others.  It doesn’t forestall misunderstandings, opposition, and division, even within the Church, even within religious houses, even among people of good will.

But God will triumph thru Christ, for he “is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20).