Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C(August 17, 2025)
Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10 | Psalm 40 | Hebrews 12:1-4 | Luke 12:49-53
The Fire of Faith: Courage to Stand, Love to Endure
Dear friends,
Today we stand at a crossroads between comfort and conviction, between following the “peace” of this world and living the blazing truth of Jesus.
My brothers and sisters understand this: life will test you. Not once. Not twice. Again, and again. People will misunderstand you, friendships may break, families may be shaken, and at times your heart will feel like it’s pierced from every side. But the Word of God tells us: “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
To follow Christ does not mean a life without storms — it means a rock beneath your feet when the winds rage. It means that even when there is division around you — political, social, even within families — your heart does not lose its anchor because your anchor is not in people, but in the living God.
Hardship has a strange way of showing us who we are and whose we are. Pain can make us bitter, or it can make us holy. It can close our hearts, or it can purify them. The difference is where you place your hope. Scripture says, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Not those who hope in systems, in people, in money, or even in themselves, but those who hope in the Lord. When your hope is in God, you can walk through fire and not be burned
The prophet Jeremiah, faithful to God, paid a steep price—cast into a muddy cistern by those who opposed his message. Yet hope emerges in the form of Ebed-Melech, a trusted court official who risked his own standing to save Jeremiah from death. This ancient scene reminds us: prophetic voices often face rejection—but still, redemption can come through unexpected allies.
Just as the psalmist cries, “The Lord drew me out of the pit… and put a new song into my mouth.” We too are invited out of darkness— lifted by God’s mercy into a life transformed and singing with praise.
Paul reassuringly reminded us that we must let go of what holds us back, and run with perseverance, especially when the race gets hard. The spiritual race isn’t sprint—it’s a steady walk sustained by prayer, small decisions, and surrender.
Then Jesus pierces our complacency: “I have come to bring fire to the earth… not peace, but division.” He calls us not to avoid challenges but to embrace them. Jesus’s warning of division—not as evil, but as a necessary separation between our old self and the new life He offers. Following Him may cost us support, comfort, even familial harmony. But His fire is the burning offwhat dims divine light, making us sharper, clearer, more alive with love.
So, what does this mean for us today?
1. Faith has consequences. Like Jeremiah, our words and convictions may unsettle others. Yet the fire of truth is worth the cost.
2. Courage must match conviction. We may be called to stand alone, but we are never abandoned—Christ runs ahead of us, flanked by the witness of saints and angels.
3. Division points to deeper peace. True peace—not the absence of conflict—but peace rooted in love for God, even when it fractures the comfortable.
Let us ask ourselves: Am I willing to risk rejection for the sake of Christ? Will I hold God’s fire in my heart, even when it causes division? Will I let God draw me from the pit, and let Him put a new song in my heart?
May we be drawn daily from the mud of sin and inertia, set aflame by God’s love, and sent—even into division—to bear witness to the transforming power of Christ.
Three Takeaways:
1. Faith will be tested – Living the Gospel often stirs opposition, but the fire of Christ purifies and strengthens us.
2. Courage and conviction go hand in hand – Like Jeremiah, we are called to stand for truth even when it costs us comfort or acceptance.
3. True peace is deeper than comfort – Christ’s peace may cause division, but it leads to lasting reconciliation with God and authentic love for others.
4. God is not finished with you. Let the wind blow, let the storm rage — but let your soul be anchored in the One who never fails.
May the Lord grant us faith fiery enough to endure, courage deep enough to stand, and hope bright enough to keep singing. Amen.
