{"id":5819,"date":"2025-08-16T09:47:45","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T08:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/?p=5819"},"modified":"2025-07-15T13:33:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T12:33:54","slug":"commentary-on-20th-sunday-of-the-year-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/commentary-on-20th-sunday-of-the-year-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary on 20th Sunday of the year C 17.08.2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEXT \u2014 Luke 12: 49\u201353 \u2014 Jesus\u2019 zealous commitment to his mission<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fire<\/strong><\/p>\n

49 \u201cI came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!<\/em><\/p>\n

Baptism<\/strong><\/p>\n

50 I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!<\/em><\/p>\n

Division<\/strong><\/p>\n

51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52 for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother\u2013in\u2013law against her daughter\u2013in\u2013law and daughter\u2013in\u2013law against her mother\u2013in\u2013law.\u201d <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

EXPLANATION<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Introduction <\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus describes his attitude to his mission. He is most anxious that it be fulfilled. He is on his journey to Jerusalem and approaching crucifixion. He describes his mission under three headings: it is like a fire<\/em> to be set alight, a baptism<\/em> to be undertaken and the result will be discord and opposition as the consequences with even families being divided which was foretold by Simeon. (Lk. 2: 34).<\/p>\n

In the Gospels, other than the words \u201cI say to you<\/em>\u201d, Jesus does not use the personal pronoun \u201cI\u201d very often. He uses it in this passage in all remarks.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

49 \u201cI came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI came to cast fire upon the earth<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Jesus allows us an insight into his heart and what drives him on his mission. He has come to set the earth on fire.<\/p>\n

(a) The Bible refers to \u201cfire<\/em>\u201d in several ways: (i) It can mean purification and cleansing. Metals were purified of dross and animals offered in sacrifice were purified by being burnt so as not to be used sacrilegiously.<\/p>\n

(ii) \u201cFire<\/em>\u201d can also refer to suffering (I Kgs. 8: 51; Jer. 11: 4) which can test people\u2019s virtue and purify them (Is. 43: 2; Jer. 6: 29; Ez. 22: 30; 24: 12).<\/p>\n

(iii) It can refer to judgement and punishment (I Kgs. 18: 36\u201340; II Kgs. 1: 10\u201314; Lk. 9: 54; 9: 3, 16; 17: 29). The Jewish people did not expect to be judged but to receive immediate reward and happiness; only non\u2013Jews would be judged adversely. They were wrong. Many Christians subscribe to that Jewish presumption in their own way.<\/p>\n

(iv) \u201cFire<\/em>\u201d is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, of God\u2019s burning love (Lk. 3: 16) which, after Jesus ascends to his Father, will descend as tongues of fire at Pentecost.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 ultimate objective is to set the world aflame with the fire of the Holy Spirit. This is the sense in which he declared \u201cI came to cast fire upon the earth<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cand would that it were already kindled!<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Jesus expresses his deep desire to complete his passion and the redemption of the world, his Father\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

(b) \u201cI have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The second figure is that of \u201cbaptism<\/em>\u201d. The word \u2018baptism\u2019 means to be plunged into water. Here Jesus gives the image of being plunged into the depths of his suffering and death (Ps. 124: 4\u20135).<\/p>\n

\u201cConstrained<\/em>\u201d means to be impatiently anxious or distressed until his sufferings and mission are over.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52 for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother\u2013in\u2013law against her daughter\u2013in\u2013law and daughter\u2013in\u2013law against her mother\u2013in\u2013law.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(c) \u201cDo you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Jesus is not saying that his intention or the reason for<\/em> his coming on earth is to bring division \u2014 he is \u201cthe Prince of Peace\u201d and as the angels sang to the shepherds on the night of his birth, he came to bring peace (Lk. 2: 14. See also Lk. 1: 79; 2: 29). Those who accept him have his peace (Lk. 7: 50; 8: 48; 10: 5\u20136). Rather he is saying that the consequence<\/em> of his coming, which he did not plan or wish, is division.<\/p>\n

\u201cfor henceforth<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This is a turning\u2013point. From now onwards peoples\u2019 attitudes will have to be established, either for or against Jesus and his mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cin one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three;<\/em> they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother\u2013in\u2013law against her daughter\u2013in\u2013law and daughter\u2013in\u2013law against her mother\u2013in\u2013law<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Five people are listed: father, son, mother, daughter and daughter\u2013in\u2013law. Some reading this list think that there are six persons but the \u201cmother<\/em>\u201d and \u201cmother\u2013in\u2013law<\/em>\u201d are one and the same person.<\/p>\n

The \u201cdaughter\u2013in\u2013law\u201d is mentioned as she would live in the same house with her husband\u2019s parents.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is a most remarkable passage, short as it is. One indication of this is that Jesus uses the first person singular \u201cI\u201d as he seldom does elsewhere in all the four Gospels (other than the regular expression \u201cI say this to you<\/em>\u201d). This is an indication that his mood is very personal, profound and full of emotion. He is expressing his deepest feelings, his zealous desire to accomplish his Father\u2019s will and mission and his anxiety to bring this to a successful end, terrible though that may be. In these five verses he expresses the core meaning of his life, love and work. He lived and died to establish the kingdom of God and to invite all people to enter. He was not prepared to compromise even in the least way in his own duty and would not allow would\u2013be followers to change the Father\u2019s plans. When some found that his demands were too strong his reaction was a stern \u201cDo you also wish to go away?<\/em>\u201d He did not deviate in the least little bit from his mission. As The Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> (607) states, \u201cThe desire to embrace his Father\u2019s plan of redeeming love inspired Jesus\u2019 whole life, for his redemptive passion was the very reason for his Incarnation. And so he asked, \u2018And what shall I say? \u201cFather, save me from this hour\u201d? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour.<\/em>\u2019 And again, \u2018Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?<\/em>\u2019 From the cross, just before \u2018It is finished<\/em>\u2019, he said, \u2018I thirst<\/em>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

To express the innermost thoughts and feelings of his heart and soul, Jesus tells us that he came on earth to set the world aflame with the fire of the love of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had foretold that Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire. When later the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles on that first Pentecost he came in the form of tongues \u201cas of fire<\/em>\u201d and filled them with himself. In the present Gospel passage Jesus is saying that this is his ambition, to kindle this fire of divine love in the hearts of every man, woman and child.<\/p>\n

A second image Jesus offers to show his zeal and anxiety to accomplish his Father\u2019s will for him is that of baptism. There would be confusion and misunderstanding if one was to limit the meaning of the word \u2018baptism\u2019 to the sacramental rite of the Church. \u2018Baptism\u2019 is a transliteration of the Greek word meaning to \u2018plunge\u2019. As Jesus uses it in this passage it refers to his plunging into his passion and death. The Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> expresses this distinction as follows, \u201cThe baptism of Jesus [in the river Jordan by John the Baptist] is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God\u2019s suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already \u201cthe Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world\u201d. Already he is anticipating the \u201cbaptism\u201d of his bloody death. Already he is coming to \u201cfulfil all righteousness\u201d, that is, he is submitting himself entirely to his Father\u2019s will: out of love he consents to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins. The Father\u2019s voice responds to the Son\u2019s acceptance, proclaiming his entire delight in his Son. The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from his conception comes to \u201crest on him\u201d. Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all mankind. At his baptism \u201cthe heavens were opened\u201d \u2014 the heavens that Adam\u2019s sin had closed \u2014 and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new creation\u201d (CCC<\/em>, 536).<\/p>\n

Finally, Jesus tells us that while he lives and dies to have each and every person accept his offer of salvation, love cannot be forced on anyone. He will not force himself on any person. His offer to each is radical, going straight into the very heart and centre of each one\u2019s life. The uncompromising decision to accept or reject divides people. That is not his intention but the free choice of those invited to respond. As family has the greatest influence on individuals it can often demand a drastic choice that can result in persecution or rejection from those who are intolerant. Indeed, it can happen that the strong to violent opposition may arise as a means of bringing Christ\u2019s disciple to seeing matters in the family way. Then it can also be because, like Jesus\u2019 own family, they think that the disciple is out of his\/her mind, \u2018mad\u2019 in fact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TEXT \u2014 Luke 12: 49\u201353 \u2014 Jesus\u2019 zealous commitment to his mission Fire 49 \u201cI came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! Baptism 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Division 51 Do you think that I<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5819"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8406,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5819\/revisions\/8406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}