DEALING WITH OPPOSITION AND DIVISION Fr. Gerald M. Musa Our Lady Queen of Perpetual Help Parish, Old Airport, Sokoto 20th Sunday of the Year/18th August 2013 Scriptural Passages: Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53 “Jeremiah ought to be put to death, he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city, and all the people…” “Persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of our faith.” “I have come to set the earth on fire…” “Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No I tell you, but rather division…” Princes falsely accused prophet Jeremiah of demoralizing soldiers and people. This accusation sounds similar to the false accusation leveled against the famous Greek philosopher Socrates (c. 469 BC – 399 BC). Socrates was a social critic who criticized the system of government of his day and encouraged people to pursue self-development over amassing material wealth. His ideas were strange and there were trumped up charges against him. He was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and of not bowing before the gods of the state. He was sentenced to death. Socrates believed firmly that his accusation was borne out of bias and gossips. Prophet Jeremiah was condemned and thrown into the well because he told the people the mind of God; Jesus was condemned to death because he spoke the hard truth to his people. Jesus experienced a strong opposition during his ministry and he warned his disciples ahead of time that they will be opposed and persecuted: “You will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers” (Matthew 24:9). Should we be worried when we face all kinds of oppositions for the sake of truth? No. We should rather be more worried and disturbed if everybody sings our praises. Jesus declares: “I have come to bring fire to the earth…” and announces a kind of baptism that he must receive. The fire, which he speaks about, is the fire of Divine love. He has come to set hearts on fire with the love of God; This fire is the fire of the Holy Spirit and the light of grace; It is the fire that sets cold and lukewarm hearts on fire; a fire that purifies and a fire that shines in the dark; It is the fire of the word of God that burns like a torch (Sir 48:1; cf. 1 Kings 18:38-39; Luke 24:32); and it is the fire of baptism that transforms those who experience it (Luke 1:17; 3:16.); It is the fire of the Holy Spirit that empowered the Apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3-4.); it is a fire that accompanies us in the journey of life, which is similar to the pillar of fire that accompanied the people of Israel in the journey through darkness of the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22); it is this fire that differentiates between those who stand on the side of truth from those who stand against the truth. it is a fire that defines and a fire that divides; the fire defines the children of light and creates a division between those whose faith is on fire and those who have a stone cold faith. Furthermore, Jesus makes a strong but confusing statement when he says: Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No I tell you, but rather division.” How do we reconcile this statement with that of St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which says: “Christ has broken down the walls that divide us, and the hostility between us?” Jesus prays that all may be one (John 17:21). So, how can the prince of peace say that he has come to bring division? Jesus is very much aware that division is inevitable in a human and imperfect world. Oppositions and division are found in family homes, and in communities. In the early Christian community, there was a crack that divided the people when some were saying, I belong to Paul, I belong to Apollo, I belong to Cephas, etc (1:Corinthians 1:12). We see all kinds of divisions in families, in the church, in our communities. These divisions come as a result of different conflicts of interests, different shades of opinions, different beliefs and cultures. In every human family or community we see those who are on the left wing and those on the right wing; those who chose to be on the right path and those who choose to be on the wrong side. We often make the choice of what side of the divide we want to belong. Those who make the choice of standing on the part of truth need the grace of God. People vehemently opposed Prophet Jeremiah and Jesus for speaking the truth, but the more they were persecuted, the more strength God gave them. God gave them the grace of fortitude to withstand opposition and persecution. The word fortitude comes from the Latin word Fortitudo which means strong. It is a grace of endurance and patience and perseverance, and courage, which we need in time of pain, sorrow, distress and persecutions. St. Paul encourages all those who suffer persecution and opposition to persevere and fix their eyes on Jesus who is the pioneer and perfecter of faith. In conclusion, let us pray that the Holy Spirit enkindles in our hearts the fires of Divine love. Francis Cardinal Arinze says: “You cannot inspire unless you are on fire.” Jeremiah and Jesus were on fire with the light of the divine message. They proclaimed an unpopular truth and suffered persecution, but this did not deter them from their mission. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says: “Truth is not determined by a majority vote.”
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 09:59:42 +0000
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